Largest lung cancer clinical trial starts to recruit patients
The world’s largest clinical trial using radiotherapy in the treatment of metastatic lung cancer for patients who typically have about a year to live, has opened for recruitment. This study is being sponsored by The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester and managed by Southampton Clinical Trials Unit.
This research is made possible thanks to a £3.4 million grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The study aims to recruit nearly 1,000 patients newly diagnosed with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), who often have a poor prognosis as the cancer is at an advanced stage and spread to other parts of the body.
Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer in the UK, accounting for 21% of cancer deaths annually. Approximately half of NSCLC lung cancer patients (44%) in the UK present with incurable stage IV disease, meaning treatment focuses on controlling symptoms and extending life, rather than curing.
“Most people with stage IV NSCLC lung cancer are eligible for this trial so it’s very inclusive. This is the first time we have delivered a trial in radiotherapy for stage IV NSCLC patients for two decades so it’s a big deal. Techniques have advanced to such an extent in this time that we believe that radiotherapy can bring additional benefit to patients undergoing their standard treatments. This study aims to provide enough evidence to change clinical practice globally and could help up to a million people a year worldwide.”
Dr David Woolf | Consultant Oncologist at The Christie and joint Chief Investigator for the TOURIST trial
Professor Matthew Hatton, honorary professor of oncology at The University of Sheffield, who is joint chief investigator for the TOURIST trial said: “Stage IV is the most advanced form of the condition and the most challenging to treat. Unfortunately, almost half of lung cancer patients are diagnosed at this late stage. So we really need to determine if, using modern radiotherapy techniques, we can improve outcomes for these patients. Our aim with this trial is to improve the quality of life, reduce symptoms associated with this disease and extend life expectancy.”
NSCLC accounts for 85-90% of all lung cancer cases worldwide with 70% of patients diagnosed at stage 4 of the disease and 1.2m deaths globally each year.
Nicky Downs, Senior Trial Manager for the TOURIST trial at the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, said: “We are delighted to be running this trial which we hope will improve treatments for patients who have been diagnosed with this late-stage cancer. The hope is that the TOURIST trial will expand in the coming months to include even more patients and to help us understand the disease and how we can control patient’s symptoms better.”
Any patient with stage IV NSCLC who would be interested in taking part in the TOURIST trial should discuss it with their local oncologist.
Any patients interested in taking part in any research at The Christie should discuss this option with their consultant. Not all patients will fit the criteria for a specific trial. While clinical trials can be successful for some patients, outcomes can vary from case to case. More information about taking part in clinical trials can be found here.
