Breakthrough brain cancer treatment gets the green light for trials to begin

Brain cancer treatment could be revolutionised with the help of a world-first study, researchers say. Multiple new treatments for people in the UK living with an aggressive form of the disease called glioblastoma will be trialled under the research.

Glioblastomas are fast-growing and aggressive tumours – the most common type of primary brain cancer in adults. But the study will let researchers for the first time adapt treatments to people in the trial – meaning multiple new drugs can be tested in a short period.

Every patient will also have their genome sequenced – which determines their genetic makeup – as part of the study, allowing researchers to target their treatment with greater precision.

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: "Brain tumours are notoriously hard to treat because we still don't know enough about the biology of the disease, and current treatments are not effective enough.

“This new trial offers something different because researchers will use the DNA of participants to help them target treatments. Whole genome sequencing tests can give clues about how a cancer may have developed, how it will behave and what treatment options would work best.

“More research is needed, but it is hoped that the could one day be used within the to improve the treatment and care of people with cancer."

Finding new treatments for glioblastoma has been difficult because of the biology of the brain. There have been 1,000 brain cancer clinical trials over the past two decades but none has provided significant breakthroughs.

But in a bid to address this, Cancer Research UK and Australian charity Minderoo Foundation have each committed £1.68 million – making a £3.36 million total – to fund the "next-Generation aGile Genomically Guided Glioma platform trial", also known as the 5G platform trial.

Experts hope the trial will help speed the development of new treatments while benefiting patients. In the study, the drug or combination of drugs a patient gets will be based on the specific genetic makeup of their cancer.

The design of the trial also allows treatments developed for other types of cancer to be tested in patients with brain cancer for the first time. The trial is sponsored by The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and conducted by the Joint Drug Development Unit at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR).

Honorary consultant neurosurgeon at Cambridge University NHS Foundation Trust and co-lead of the Brain Cancer Virtual Institute at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre, Dr Richard Mair, said: "Brain cancers like glioblastoma are notoriously difficult to treat. I am excited to co-lead this world-first trial designed with this cancer type in mind.

"The use of whole genome sequencing for every patient on the trial performed in 'real time' enables us to be both agile and precise in our drug targeting. We hope that this approach will help patients with this cancer of unmet need."

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