Skin cancer patients given fast-track access to Southampton vaccine trial
The Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad has been expanded to include patients with advanced melanoma.
The scheme matches eligible patients to studies developing vaccines against cancers.
The latest trial, known as SCOPE, focuses on a new DNA vaccine aimed at improving the immune system's recognition of cancer cells to enhance response to immunotherapy.
The NHS has partnered with Scancell, a life-sciences company based in Oxford, to widen access to the trial for patients with advanced melanoma.
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Professor Gareth Griffiths, director of the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, said: "It is fantastic to see the expansion of the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad with the addition of this melanoma cancer vaccine trial.
"Our team has been working hard with Scancell to bring the trial onto the CVLP platform and we hope that by being part of this ground-breaking programme we can help to increase referrals for this trial and give more patients with advanced melanoma access to new, potentially life-saving treatments."
Patients from several hospitals across the UK, including University Hospital Southampton (UHS), are already participating in the phase II SCOPE trial.
SCOPE patient Paul Thomas with health minister Karin Smyth (Image: Submitted)
Paul Thomas, a 63-year-old grandfather of four and window cleaner from New Milton, Hampshire, is taking part in the trial at UHS.
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He was diagnosed with advanced skin cancer in 2017 and expressed his gratitude for being on the trial, saying: "I feel so lucky to be put on the trial.
"Thankfully, I was still quite fit and since I've been on it, every time I go for a scan they seem to be shrinking, which is really exciting."
To mark the launch of the SCOPE trial, health minister Karin Smith, who herself was treated for melanoma, visited the unit.
She said: 'As someone who has overcome skin cancer, I know that every advancement in treatment brings hope to patients and their families.
'This innovative collaboration through our Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad could transform how we treat advanced melanoma."
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: 'This kind of innovation is nothing short of life-saving and I want to see more of these world-leading treatments being developed in the UK."
Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the UK, accounting for around 4 per cent of all new cancer cases – with analysis by CRUK showing cases had risen by a third between 2009-2019.
Around half of melanoma patients respond to standard care of immunotherapy, but people who don't respond are at higher risk of their cancer progressing.
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