Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance is pleased to announce that NHS Humber Health Partnership is to take part in the colorectal cancer vaccine trial (BNT122-01). Specialist cancer teams at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham will soon offer fast-tracked access to a personalised cancer vaccine for a small number of eligible patients.
Personalised cancer vaccines work by preparing a person’s immune system to recognise and destroy cancer cells and reduce the risk of the disease returning.
In May, NHS England announced the launch of the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad which, through a series of trials, will provide up to 10,000 patients in the UK with personalised cancer treatments by 2030. At the time, around 30 hospital trusts in England had signed up to the launch pad.
People with cancer who are receiving NHS treatment in England can be assessed to see if they might be eligible to join a cancer vaccine clinical trial, and then referred to a hospital that is running a trial. If you are eligible for the trial your clinical team will invite you to take part.
As part of the colorectal cancer vaccine trial, sponsored by BioNTech SE, the Trust will initially offer personalised cancer vaccines to people from across the Humber and North Yorkshire region with colorectal cancer. This is a fast-developing field of research and it is likely vaccine trials for other cancers will become available in the not-too-distant future. To find out more about the current study, you can view a short video here.
Dr Kartikae Grover, Clinical Director, Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance, said: “The creation of the national cancer vaccine launch pad to offer personalised cancer vaccines to people diagnosed with cancer could certainly be a landmark moment in the fight against cancer.
“It is therefore really pleasing that some cancer patients in Humber and North Yorkshire will be able to take part in the personalised cancer vaccine trial, which may help to reduce a patient’s risk of their cancer returning.
“The Cancer Alliance is working with colleagues at Castle Hill Hospital to roll out the trial to colorectal cancer patients in the first instance, with the view to offering other trials to other cancer patients in the future.”
Dr Rajarshi Roy, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, at NHS Humber Health Partnership, said: “It is amazing for us to have been selected as a trial site for the colorectal cancer vaccine trial and for us to also be one of the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad sites, so that we might be able to offer personalised cancer vaccines to people in our region. It is a proud moment for us to play a part in finding new and better ways to treat cancer and prevent it from returning.
“Personalised cancer vaccines are potentially a game changer in cancer treatment and prevention. Cancers can return after potentially curative treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy (or a combination of all), as some viable cancer cells can remain in the body, which can lead to a recurrence in the future. A personalised cancer vaccine can target those last remaining cancer cells and reduce the risk of recurrence still further.”
Cancer vaccine trials are for people who have been diagnosed with cancer, either for the first time or for a returning cancer, who are undergoing treatment. Not everybody who has been diagnosed or is having treatment for cancer will be eligible for a trial.
