Trials

The Cambridge Cancer Trials Centre is a collaboration between Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cancer Research UK and the University of Cambridge.

Resources from the BRC are used to support the core common elements of the Cambridge Cancer Trials Centre. During the reporting period the CCTC has established a biostatistical capability in collaboration with the Cambridge MRC Biostatistics Hub.

The CCTC biostatisticians have formed close links with the Cambridge University Hospitals Clinical Trials Office. This will serve as an important model for clinical research across the BRC and early phase trials work is now expanding steadily.

Our strategy is to have an early phase programme in each of our focus tumour types. Accordingly, we are now seeking to appoint 2 CRUK-funded academic consultants - one will be in breast cancer therapeutics and one in cancer therapeutics associated with one of our focus tumour types (prostate, ovarian, upper GI, HPB, lung).

Lung

Between them Papworth Hospital and Addenbrooke's Hospital constitute one of the largest thoracic oncology practices in the country with over 500 new incident cases per annum.

Our own research effort aims to reduce the burden of lung cancer by concentrating on the pre-malignant and early stages of the disease, and financial support from the Cambridge BRC has enabled us to construct the team necessary to build this programme.

It has also funded new research sessions in respiratory medicine and research bronchoscopy, radiology and pathology at Papworth Hospital.

Achievements during the year include: selection as one of the 2 pilot sites for the UK Lung Screening study (PI: Eisen, Rintoul), excellent recruitment to studies investigating pre-malignant lung disease (LungSEARCH; PI: Rintoul), NSCLC staging (ASTER; PI: Rintoul) and management of Mesothelioma (MESOVATS; PI: Rintoul), securing funding for therapeutic study of premalignant lung disease (TIDAL; PI: Eisen).