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The first participants are being invited to take part in a ground-breaking research trial that aims to save lives by improving the early diagnosis of lung cancer. Every year, 25,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with advanced, inoperable lung cancer, making it the biggest cause of cancer death in the UK, and costing the NHS £307m a year.
The iDx Lung trial led by The Leeds Centre for Personalised Medicine and Health (LCPMH), together with the University of Leeds, and Southampton University are working alongside NHS England’s Targeted Lung Health Checks programme and the Yorkshire Cancer Research-funded Leeds Lung Health Check, in collaboration with industry. People at high risk of lung cancer who are attending mobile CT (computed tomography) scanning units in the community in Leeds will be invited to participate in the iDx Lung trial and will give a nasal swab and a blood sample. The samples will then be analysed for changes that may indicate the presence of early cancer development.
The study aims to collect samples from 4,000 patients in Yorkshire and combining the results of simple biological tests with the results from the CT scan will better identify those most at risk, improving the accuracy of the diagnosis, as well as dramatically improving outcomes for patients. What’s more, the diagnostic process will be streamlined, saving money and ensuring resources are directed to help those with the greatest need.
Richard Neal, Professor of Primary Care Oncology at the University of Leeds, and a GP in the city said:
“We are delighted to be working on this important project with University of Southampton, the NHS and industry partners. Lung cancer remains a huge problem as we continue to see it diagnosed at a very advanced stage. This work will help us to target those at most risk and diagnose the disease at an earlier and treatable stage.”
Dr Kathryn Scott, Chief Executive at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said: “In Yorkshire, lung cancer incidence and mortality rates are significantly higher than the England average. The Leeds Lung Health Check, funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research, has checked thousands of people in the city for early signs of the disease through screening. These patients will now have the opportunity to take part in additional tests using cutting-edge technology that can find cancer at an even earlier stage than screening. Bringing pioneering trials like iDx Lung to Yorkshire is a key part of the charity’s aim to save lives in our region.”
Peter Johnson, Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Southampton and Chief Investigator of trial, said: “We know that lung cancer can be treated successfully if we catch it early, but too often it can go unnoticed and is then picked up at a late stage when treatment options are more limited. By bringing some of the latest molecular technology to this problem, we hope that we can find better ways to detect lung cancer in its early stages and make sure people have the best chance of a cure.”
The research collaborators for the trial include Roche Diagnostics, Oncimmune, Inivata, BC Platforms, the Lung Cancer Initiative at Johnson & Johnson, and the Southampton Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) who will carry out the laboratory analysis of the samples.
The trial is being funded by a £2.75m grant from UK Research and Innovation’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) and £750,000 from Cancer Research UK and is part of a total investment of £10 million from the Government’s Early Diagnosis Mission.