A study to understand more about how chemotherapy affects proteins and DNA

This study looked at blood samples from people having chemotherapy. The study was open to people with cancer of the

• Stomach

• Food pipe (oesophagus)

• Bowel (colorectal)

We know that in most cases, cancers of the same type can be slightly different in their make up. This is because a variety of gene defects may cause the same disease. Not everyone with the same cancer has the same gene defect or protein make up. So people may respond to treatment differently even if they have the same type of cancer.

Researchers wanted to understand more about how genes or proteins were involved in cancer development, cancer spread and response to treatment. In this study, they looked at DNA and also used new technology called Protein Chip Profiling to examine hundreds of proteins from people having chemotherapy. The aims of the study were to

• Look at any changes during cancer treatment in proteins and DNA in the liquid part of the blood (serum) and hair follicles

• See if these changes reflected what was happening to the cancer

• Identify new characteristics (markers) in serum and hair follicle samples that may help predict outcome for future patients