Researchers at Queens University Belfast are studying how bowel cancer resists chemotherapy, aiming to improve treatment outcomes as cases rise among younger patients across the UK, with funding from Cancer Research UK.
Study Targets How Cancer Outsmarts Therapy
A research team in Belfast is investigating why bowel cancer cells stop responding to treatments that initially work. The study, funded by Cancer Research UK, focuses on the biological tricks cancer uses to survive chemotherapy.
The work is led by scientists at Queens University Belfast and centers on RNA, the molecule that carries instructions from DNA and controls how cells grow and behave. When these instructions go wrong, cells can grow uncontrollably and form tumors.
“Bowel cancer cells can learn how to survive drugs designed to kill them,” said Dr. Susanta Chatterjee, lead researcher and senior postdoctoral fellow at the university. “Our research aims to understand how that resistance develops, using treatments we already know are effective.”
Bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the UK. Researchers say resistance to treatment is one of the biggest reasons the disease remains difficult to cure.
Focus Turns to RNA and Chemotherapy Resistance
The study examines how cancer cells respond to genotoxic drugs, which damage the DNA and RNA of cancer cells to stop them from dividing. These drugs are commonly used in bowel cancer treatment.
Over time, however, some cancer cells adapt and begin to grow again. The Queens University Belfast team is studying how changes in RNA help cancer cells bypass this damage and survive chemotherapy.
“We know cancer can hijack normal repair processes that are meant to fix errors in cells,” Chatterjee said. “If we can understand these mechanisms in detail, we may be able to improve or redesign treatments so they work for longer.”
Cancer Research UK says this kind of research is critical as doctors see more patients whose cancers return after treatment. The charity funds multiple projects aimed at stopping cancers from becoming resistant to therapy.
“Cancer’s ability to overcome treatment is one of the biggest challenges we face,” said Dr. Catherine Elliott, director of research at Cancer Research UK. “That’s why we are supporting this project in Belfast, which could lead to more effective therapies in the future.”
Rising Cases in Younger Adults Add Urgency
Bowel cancer is increasingly being diagnosed in younger people, adding urgency to the research. Around 17,400 people die from the disease each year in the UK, including about 490 in Northern Ireland.
In Northern Ireland alone, about 1,300 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer annually, according to researchers involved in the study. Health experts say the trend mirrors patterns seen in other countries.
A recent American Cancer Society study published in The Lancet Oncology found that early-onset bowel cancer rates among adults ages 25 to 49 are rising in more than half of the countries studied, including the UK.
Dr. Seyed Mehdi Jafarnejad, who supervises the project at Queens University Belfast, said the findings could have wide impact. “This work helps us understand why some cancers fail to respond to chemotherapy at all, while others stop responding over time,” he said.
With continued support, the team plans to expand the research to include resistance to other commonly used cancer drugs. “These insights could pave the way for more effective treatment strategies,” Jafarnejad said.
