# Leeds EMT2 trial of prescription EPA in 418 patients: five-year survival 62% vs 45% after liver surgery

- Published: 2026-11-08 22:26 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Medicine
- Tags: EMT2 trial, prescription EPA, omega-3 and bowel cancer, bowel cancer liver surgery, five-year survival, University of Leeds, ESMO Congress 2026, progression-free survival, randomized trial, colorectal liver metastases
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-11274939103440678afa5da2_leeds_emt2_trial/

**In the EMT2 trial of 418 patients, prescription EPA did not clearly delay cancer progression, but estimated five-year survival was higher. The finding needs confirmation.**

![Leeds EMT2 trial of prescription EPA in 418 patients: five-year survival 62% vs 45% after liver surgery](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/b98ee70f49aa179b.jpg)
*John Crawford (Photographer), Wikimedia Commons, Public domain*

Researchers from the University of Leeds presented results of the EMT2 trial at the 2026 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress, according to knowridge.com. The trial enrolled 418 patients at 13 specialist surgical centers in the United Kingdom. All were scheduled for an operation to remove bowel cancer that had spread to the liver. [1]

The main outcome, time alive without the cancer worsening, did not differ clearly between the groups. The midpoint was 13.5 months with EPA and 12.9 months with the comparison capsules, a difference the researchers could not distinguish from chance. [1]

## Trial design

Patients were randomly assigned to four grams a day of a purified prescription form of the omega-3 fat EPA or to capsules containing mineral oil. They started taking the capsules at least one day before surgery. The plan was to continue for two to four years, even if the cancer progressed. [1]

Neither the patients nor the teams caring for them knew which treatment had been assigned during the trial. [1]

## Survival signal and its limits

Estimated five-year survival was 62% in the EPA group and 45% in the comparison group. This was a secondary measure, so it carries more uncertainty than it would if the main goal had been met and the survival result had been confirmed separately. [1]

The researchers reported no clear excess of side effects such as bleeding or an irregular heart rhythm in the EPA group. They also found no sign that the capsules lowered quality of life during the study. [1]

The trial used a specific prescription formulation under medical supervision. Its findings do not show whether other omega-3 products, including ordinary fish oil supplements, would have the same effects. [1]

Open questions include what happened after the cancer returned: which further treatments patients received and where the cancer spread. These details could help explain why overall survival appeared to differ while the time before worsening looked similar. For now, the results give researchers a reason to test the survival signal again.

## Sources

1. [knowridge.com](https://knowridge.com/2026/11/omega-3-drug-shows-possible-survival-benefit-after-bowel-cancer-surgery)

---

Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-11274939103440678afa5da2_leeds_emt2_trial/