Already approved drugs could cut risk of cervical cancer return, study finds

Trial involved short course of induction chemotherapy before standard chemoradiation treatment

Use of existing drugs before the standard treatment for cervical cancer could lead to a reduction of about one-third in the risk of the disease recurring or causing death, the results of a study suggest.

Researchers assessed whether a short course of induction chemotherapy (IC), using cheap, already approved drugs to destroy as many cancer cells as possible, could reduce rates of relapse and death if administered before chemoradiation (CRT), a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.