Patients at UHSM are among the first in the country to take part in a pioneering initiative to demonstrate how genetic tests could be used within the NHS to help match cancer patients to the most appropriate treatment.
The aim is to establish a world-class NHS genetic testing service in the UK. This will mean that, as and when new targeted treatments become available, doctors will have access to the tests they need to help them decide which drugs are best for their patients.
Up to 9,000 patients will participate in the first phase of the programme, which will cover six different tumour types: breast, bowel, lung, prostate, ovary and melanoma skin cancer. The participating hospitals within the Greater Manchester area are The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and the University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust.
Cancer Research UK, Astra Zeneca and Pfizer are funding the £5.5 million programme. The charity’s share is being funded through its Catalyst Club - a pioneering venture to raise £10 million to propel forward the use of personalised cancer treatment, including Cancer Research UK’s Stratified Medicine Programme.
Patients will be asked to give consent for a small sample of their tumour to be sent to one of three leading NHS genetic testing labs – based at the ICR, Cardiff All Wales Regional Genetics Centre and the West Midlands Regional Genetics Laboratory in Birmingham – where DNA will be extracted and analysed for a range of molecular faults linked to cancer.
This information will be stored alongside other relevant clinical information to allow researchers to compare the success of different treatments in relation to specific faults within cancer cells.
So although the programme will not alter patients’ treatment at this stage, it’s hoped it could help scientists design better targeted treatments in the future.
The initiative is closely aligned with the government’s Technology Strategy Board (TSB)’s £6 million investment in the development of tests for analysing a tumour’s genetic profile and secure software that can link this information to relevant clinical information.