Trial to see if red wine chemical can stop bowel cancer

Scientists will explore if a chemical mostly found in red grapes - and products made from red grapes, such as wine and juice - can help prevent bowel cancer as part of a major new trial.

The study - known as Colo-Prevent - has been hailed as a "unique experiment" which could have "big implications" for people at risk of the disease.

It will also look at other potential treatments to prevent bowel cancer, including aspirin and metformin, a medication prescribed to help people with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar.

It is hoped about 1300 patients will be taking part in the trial across 60 locations in England and Wales by the start of 2028.

Researchers will use a purified resveratrol, which is a natural compound mostly found in red grapes, as well as blueberries, raspberries and peanuts.

Karen Brown, a professor of translational cancer research at the University of Leicester, is leading the study.

Her previous research found purified resveratrol can hinder the growth of cancer cells in small doses.

"With the Colo-Prevent trial, we are embarking on a unique experiment to see how drugs could stop bowel polyps from growing," Prof Brown said.

"This trial could have big implications for how we prevent bowel cancer in people who are most likely to develop the disease as they get older."

Experts are recruiting people aged between 50 and 73 who have taken part in the NHS bowel screening program and been found to have bowel polyps, small growths that are usually not serious but can develop into cancer if left untreated.

Patients will have their polyps removed and will be given either aspirin by itself or a combination of aspirin and metformin, for the main trial.

Others will take purified resveratrol or a placebo as part of a sub-study.

Those in the aspirin and metformin groups will take the drugs daily for three years, while those on resveratrol or the placebo will take it for one year.

All patients will then be given a colonoscopy - when a long thin tube with a camera on the end is inserted into the bottom to help doctors see inside the colon - to determine if the polyps have started growing again.

Dr Iain Foulkes, executive director of research and innovation at Cancer Research UK, which is funding the trial, said: "This trial opens the door to a new era of cancer research, where cancer becomes much more preventable through cutting-edge science.

"The Colo-Prevent trial is one of the biggest trials into therapeutic prevention in the UK.

"The insights gained from the trial will change how we think about cancer prevention and give more people the chance of longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer."