Almost half of patients with an advanced form of ovarian cancer saw their tumours shrink from a revolutionary drug combination, according to the results of a small clinical trial, The Guardian reported.

Thousands of women with a a type of ovarian cancer that rarely responds to chemotherapy or hormone therapy, could benefit from this treatment.

The pair of drugs work together to block signals cancer cells need to grow, The Guardian reported.

A team at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, tested the drugs VS-6766 and defactinib in patients with low-grade serous ovarian cancer in the phase 1 trial.

With this type of cancer, less than 13 percent respond to chemotherapy and less than 14% respond to hormone therapy, according to experts.

The outcomes were even better in patients with a particular mutation, with 64 percent who have KRAS-driven tumours seeing them shrink after treatment.

The trial results were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology congress.

“This study has turned a deep understanding of how cancer fuels its growth and develops resistance into a highly targeted treatment for patients who currently have few treatment options," said Prof Kristian Helin, the chief executive of the ICR, according to The Guardian.

Researchers hoped it could mean a significant advance in treatment if the results are replicated in larger trials.

(With inputs from The Guardian.)