Scientists will study whether a chemical found mainly in red grapes and red grape products, such as wine and juice, can help prevent bowel cancer in a major new trial.

The study known as Colo-Prevent has been hailed as a “unique experiment” that 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 levels.

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It is hoped that around 1,300 patients will take part in the trial across 60 sites in England and Wales by early 2028.

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

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

His previous research found that 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 might prevent the growth of intestinal polyps,” Professor 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 age.”

The experts recruit people aged 50 to 73 who have participated in the NHS intestinal screening program and discovered intestinal polyps, small growths that are usually not serious but can develop into cancer if left untreated.

Patients will have their polyps removed and will receive either aspirin alone, or a combination of aspirin and metformin, for the main trial.

Others will take purified resveratrol or a placebo as part of a substudy.

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

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

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with around 44,000 people diagnosed each year, or around 120 every day.

It’s not always clear what the cause is, but the NHS advises people to exercise regularly, eat more fruit and vegetables, drink less alcohol and stop smoking to reduce their risk.

Bowel cancer screening is also offered every two years to anyone aged 54 to 74.

People receive fecal immunochemical test (FIT) kits in the mail that look for blood in feces, allowing them to collect the sample at home.

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 thanks to cutting-edge science. »

“The Colo-Prevent trial is one of the largest therapeutic prevention trials in the UK.”

“The knowledge gained from the trial will change the way we think about cancer prevention and give more people the opportunity to live longer, better lives, without fear of cancer.”

David Trusler, 66, is one of the first patients to take part in the study and said he was doing so for his father, who died of bowel cancer when David was a teenager.

Mr Trusler, from Market Harborough in Leicestershire, was diagnosed with prostate cancer 11 years ago and, after successful surgery, it has not returned.

He has been taking part in the NHS bowel screening program since 2018 and, after receiving an abnormal result earlier this year, a colonoscopy revealed two large polyps.

“My first thought was ‘oh no, not again,'” Mr. Trusler said. “I lost my father when I was 17 to bowel cancer.”

“We had such a strong bond. I’ll never forget how angry it made me to waste that time with him.”

“When my father was diagnosed in the 1970s, there were no MRIs or ultrasounds. Many of today’s advances in cancer treatment simply did not exist at the time.”

“I’m taking part in this trial for my father, to give future generations the kind of treatments he never had.”

Professor Brown added: “Screening has made huge progress in detecting bowel cancers in those most at risk. »

“But to further improve outcomes, we must first prevent more bowel cancers from occurring.”

“The best way to prevent bowel cancer at present is to improve our lifestyles by stopping smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, reducing alcohol consumption and eating a healthy, healthy diet. balanced.”

“But we can strengthen these efforts by embracing therapeutic prevention, which uses our growing knowledge of cancer biology to find drugs that can stop it in its early stages.”