We are one of seven trusts in the UK to take part in a clinical trial for a new treatment for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma – the most common type of kidney cancer.
Patients involved in the trial were randomly chosen to either receive the new drug, currently only approved for use in the United States, or the standard treatment.
The trial has shown a statistically significant improvement in the length of time patients live free of signs of the disease returning (progression-free survival) for the new drug compared with the standard drug.
It is hoped that results of this study will contribute to the approval of the drug by the European Medicines Agency and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), so that patients in Europe and the UK can also benefit from this new treatment.
Professor Stergios Boussios, Clinical Lead for Research and Innovation and lead investigator for the study said: “The approval in the United States marks an exciting day for patients with renal cell carcinoma. We eagerly await European Medicines Agency and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approvals in Europe and the UK, respectively.
“Congratulations to everyone involved in developing this pivotal drug. We are immensely proud to have contributed and extend our heartfelt gratitude to our patients and their families for their trust and participation.”
Research is vitally important for us here at Medway. In 2022/23, some 111 research studies were conducted; 39 of these were “home-grown” studies developed and run here at Medway. We recruited 4,852 patients into National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) studies in 2022/23. Thank you to everyone involved in advancing this vital work.
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