New brain cancer proton beam therapy clinical trial launched in UK

The trial is recruiting patients in Leeds, Manchester, Oxford, London, Cambridge and Kent

The University of Leeds has launched a trial funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) to investigate a new treatment for brain cancer.

The APPROACH trial is now open to recruit patients living with oligodendroglioma, a type of brain cancer, in Leeds, Manchester, Oxford, London, Cambridge and Kent.

Affecting around 350,000 people in the UK every year, oligodendroglioma is a growth of cells that begins in cells known as oligodendrocytes in the brain, which protects the nerve cells and helps with electrical signals in the brain and spinal cord.

The study will identify whether proton beam therapy can reduce the long-term side effects of radiotherapy and quality of life in comparison to photon radiotherapy, the current global standard treatment.

The University of Leeds Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit will deliver the APPROACH trial, along with two UK proton beam therapy centres at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Foundation Trust and the Christie NHS Foundation Trust.

The technology uses a beam of a highly charged proton particle that eliminates cancer cells by releasing a powerful burst of energy directly at the tumour site while delivering less radiation to the surrounding normal tissues.

Patients will be randomly assigned to either receive standard photon radiotherapy or proton beam therapy to compare side effects and will be followed up after five years.

Researchers hope that the trial results could lead to improved care and outcomes for patients living with brain cancer and help inform the treatment of other cancers in the future.

“We need high-quality clinical trials to determine whether proton beam therapy is a better treatment for certain cancers,” said Dr Louise Murray, Yorkshire Cancer Research associate professor and honorary consultant clinical oncologist.

Dr Naomi Fersht, consultant clinical oncologist, UCLH said that this trial hopes “to be able to show that the use of proton beam therapy can minimise some of the side effects of radiotherapy for adult brain cancer patients”.