A platinum-based drug that was first developed 15 years ago has shown positive results in the treatment of colorectal cancer according to new research.

Researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Centre have told a packed seminar that the drug oxaliplatin can make radiation therapy more effective.

Presenting their findings at the annual American Association of Cancer Research Meeting in Washington, the scientists pointed to some encouraging results.

Those patients who received oxaliplatin in combination with fluorouracil and leucovorin, standard treatments for advanced colorectal cancer, experienced a far more effective course of treatment.

Lead author William Blackstock Junior, explained: 'The clinical trials with oxaliplatin reported thus far make it clear that this drug will soon become an integral part of the treatment of all patients with colorectal cancer.'

Oxaliplatin is a platinum-based drug containing small molecules that interact with DNA and disrupt the replication process.

One of the main reasons for attributing such significance to the breakthrough is because of the resistance some cancers have developed to other platinum-based drugs.

According to the American Cancer Society, cancers of the colon and rectum are the third most common site of new cases among adults in the United States.