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A new drug combination will allow elderly patients who are treated for bowel cancer to live without the disease for longer, manufacturer Roche said.
Patients above 65 who took Xeloda with Xelox following surgery lived disease-free for longer in comparison to those treated with commonly used chemotherapy regimen 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin, Roche said.
Xeloda is already approved to treat early-stage colon cancer.
There are nearly one million new cases of bowel cancer around the world each year with more than 90% found in those over 50.
It is the second most common cause of death from cancer for men and women in Europe..
Copyright Press Association 2010
