Latest news with #Guy'sandStThomas'NHSFoundationTrust
The Star
13-05-2025
- Health
- The Star
Acute myeloid leukaemia: New test improves survival time
A highly sensitive test that detects traces of disease in the bone marrow of patients with a rare and aggressive type of blood cancer could help double their chances of survival, a first-of-its-kind trial has found. The 10-minute procedure – which involves an injection in the hip bone every three months – identified signs of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) returning in patients before it showed in blood tests. This gives medics a 'window of opportunity' to treat people while they are still well, researchers said. Experts hope the test could become routine care for patients with AML. Detecting low levels AML is a cancer that causes the bone marrow to produce a large number of abnormal blood cells, with tens of thousands of people diagnosed with it around the world each year. The risk of developing the disease increases with age and it is most common in people over 75. After treatment, patients are usually seen every few weeks for blood tests. Trial chief investigator and Britain's Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust honorary consultant haematologist Professor Dr Nigel Russell said: 'There's a significant risk for these patients that the leukaemia is going to come back again, and that's normally detected by a deterioration in the blood tests. 'Sometimes it can happen very quickly, and sometimes it can happen over a period of weeks. 'So normally, the patient comes along, has a blood test done, the blood test is okay, they're sent off again. 'That's the procedure that's been the case for many years. 'But the trial included these extra tests in the bone marrow every three months to detect if there's any evidence of what we call residual leukaemia; it's such a low level that the blood tests are normal, but the disease can still be present at very low levels in the bone marrow.' The bone marrow test takes around 10 minutes and is performed under local anaesthetic, with a hollow needle inserted into the patient's hip bone to take the sample. 'It detects the RNA present in the leukaemia cells, but not present in normal cells,' Prof Russell added. Starting treatment while well For the study, led by King's College London and published in The Lancet Haematology journal, patients were screened for mutations in the NPM1 and FLT3 genes, which are common in younger people with AML. The trial involved 637 people who were in remission from AML and had, over three years, either received standard monitoring or standard monitoring with additional bone marrow tests every three months. Prof Russell said: 'It was about one-third of patients that really benefited from this approach that had a doubling of their survival, which was a massive improvement in outcome for these patients. 'And really, it's quite a simple extra procedure to have done. 'Since the results of the trial have become available, this sort of technology is now part of what we call the standard of care. 'The important thing is that it gives you a window of opportunity to treat the patient before they become unwell. 'Because if the patient relapses, they can become quite unwell very quickly and their blood counts are very abnormal. 'They have to come into hospital and they have to have further treatment of chemotherapy, and then possibly go on to a bone marrow transplant. 'The advantage of detecting it early is the patients can have these treatments when they're still well – even potentially as an outpatient, because their blood tests are normal. 'They don't need to come into hospital as an emergency and they're starting with a fresh start really, rather than being ill again.' Giving more time Jane Leahy, 51, from Wimbledon, London, is one of the patients who took part in the trial. She was diagnosed with AML in December 2014 at the age of 41, and after chemotherapy, went into remission the following April. The mother-of-two had her bone marrow tested as part of the trial, which picked up abnormalities a few months later. After restarting treatment, the bone marrow test results also showed the chemotherapy was not working, with a stem cell transplant her only chance of going into remission again. 'Without testing, I wouldn't have gone on to have my transplant, because my blood showed I was still in remission,' she said. Nine years after her bone marrow transplant – which was donated by her sister – Leahy is still in remission. She added: 'It's pretty scary really, when I think about potentially what could have happened. 'And there were so many things throughout my treatment journey, it felt like the stars were aligning. 'I feel incredibly lucky.' Leahy said bone marrow testing gives doctors 'more time', adding: 'The time is always critical, because it's so acute and so aggressive. 'And a lot of people die from AML before they get to treatment, because it's just diagnosed so late. 'So it just gives more time, more opportunities to try different treatment approaches and pick it up earlier, before it becomes too late to do anything about.' – PA Media/dpa
The Independent
29-04-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Blood cancer survival odds could be ‘doubled' as bone marrow test trial is a success
Patients with a rare and aggressive type of blood cancer could soon have their chances of survival doubled as a groundbreaking trial to detect the disease earlier concludes. Scientists working on the trial developed a highly sensitive test that that spots traces of disease in the bone marrow of patients to identify of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). The 10-minute procedure – which involves an injection in the hip bone every three months – was able to identify signs of AML returning in patients before it showed in blood tests. This gives medics a 'window of opportunity' to treat people while they are still well, researchers said. Experts hope the test could become routine care for patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in the UK and beyond. AML is a cancer which causes the bone marrow to produce a large number of abnormal blood cells and around 3,100 people are diagnosed in the UK each year. The risk of developing the disease increases with age and it is most common in people over 75. After treatment, patients are usually seen every few weeks for blood tests. Professor Nigel Russell, honorary consultant at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and chief investigator on the trial, said: 'There's a significant risk for these patients that the leukaemia is going to come back again, and that's normally detected by a deterioration in the blood tests. 'Sometimes it can happen very quickly, and sometimes it can happen over a period of weeks. 'So normally, the patient comes along, has a blood test done, the blood test is okay, they're sent off again. That's the procedure that's been the case for many years. 'But the trial included these extra tests in the bone marrow every three months to detect if there's any evidence of what we call residual leukaemia; it's such a low level that the blood tests are normal, but the disease can still be present at very low levels in the bone marrow.' The bone marrow test takes around 10 minutes and is performed under local anaesthetic, with a hollow needle inserted into the patient's hip bone to take the sample. 'It detects the the RNA present in the leukaemia cells, but not present in normal cells,' Prof Russell added. For the study, led by King's College London and published in The Lancet Haematology, patients were screened for mutations in the NPM1 and FLT3 genes, which are common in younger people with AML. The trial involved 637 people who were in remission from AML who, over three years, either received standard monitoring or standard monitoring with additional bone marrow tests every three months. Prof Russell said: 'It was about one third of patients that really benefited from this approach that had a doubling of their survival, which was a massive improvement in outcome for these patients. 'And really, it's quite a simple extra procedure to have done. Since the results of the trial have become available, this sort of technology is now part of what we call the standard of care. 'The important thing is that it gives you a window of opportunity to treat the patient before they become unwell. 'Because if the patient relapses, they can become quite unwell very quickly, and their blood counts are very abnormal. 'They have to come into hospital, and they have to have further treatment of chemotherapy, and then possibly go on to a bone marrow transplant. 'The advantage of detecting it early is the patients can have these treatments when they're still well. Even potentially as an outpatient, because their blood tests are normal. 'They don't need to come into hospital as an emergency and they're starting with a fresh start, really, rather than being ill again.' Jane Leahy, 51, from Wimbledon, is one of the patients who took part in the trial. She was diagnosed with AML in December 2014, at the age of 41, and after chemotherapy went into remission the following April. The mother-of-two had her bone marrow tested as part of the trial, which picked up abnormalities a few months later. After restarting treatment, the bone marrow test results also showed the chemotherapy was not working, with a stem cell transplant her only chance of going into remission again. 'Without testing, I wouldn't have gone on to have my transplant, because my blood showed I was still in remission,' Mrs Leahy told PA. Nine years after her bone marrow transplant – which was donated by her sister – Mrs Leahy is still in remission. She added: 'It's pretty scary, really, when I think about potentially what could have happened. And there were so many things throughout my my treatment journey, it felt like the stars were aligning. 'I feel incredibly lucky.' Mrs Leahy said bone marrow testing gives doctors 'more time', adding: 'The time is always critical, because it's so acute and so aggressive. 'And a lot of people die from AML before they get to treatment, because it's just diagnosed so late. 'So it just gives more time, more opportunities to try different treatment approaches and pick it up earlier, before it becomes too late to do anything about.' Dr Richard Dillon, a clinical senior lecturer in cancer genetics from King's College London, said: 'Acute myeloid leukaemia is the most aggressive form of blood cancer, so knowing early that a patient's cancer is going to relapse is crucial for planning their treatment. 'We hope that these tests become part of routine care for this type of cancer across the UK and worldwide, and ultimately improve long-term survival rates for patients.' Laura Challinor, from the Blood Cancer UK charity, which part-funded the study, said the findings 'could help shift the dial in a positive direction'. She added: 'As this involves a bone marrow test every three months, we must also continue to push ahead with research into kinder therapies for the 280,000 people with blood cancer in the UK.'
New York Post
24-04-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Our peanut allergies were deadly — now we eat them every day thanks to a ‘well-worn' routine
It's a nut-so miracle! For two British men, peanuts used to be a death sentence. Now? They're a morning snack. Both suffered from lifelong peanut allergies that had previously sent them to the hospital before joining a nine-month study in the UK — where two-thirds of participants came out able to safely eat peanuts. Advertisement 3 Chris Brookes-Smith and Richard Lassiter have been liberated from a life-threatening peanut allergy thanks to a groundbreaking UK clinical trial. Goffkein – Chris Brookes-Smith, 28, was terrified of peanuts after some Indian takeout sent him to the hospital with hives that he likened to boiling water being poured over his body. 'I thought I was going to die,' he told the BBC. This life-threatening allergy made activities that should have been enjoyable — like eating out with friends or traveling — fraught with peril. He even avoided visiting regions of the world where peanuts were likely to be in his food, like Southeast Asia. Advertisement That was until a groundbreaking clinical trial conducted by King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust changed his life. 'It's a wonderful feeling,' he said. 'I'm no longer afraid of dying.' The trial utilized a method called oral immunotherapy, in which the body becomes desensitized over time with microscopic doses of the allergen. They started patients off with trace amounts of peanut and gradually increased the amount. Advertisement By the end of the nine-month study, 14 of the 21 patients could eat up to five peanuts a day without having a reaction. Professor Stephen Till, who led the study, told the BBC that the treatment 'has potential to have a real impact on patients' lives. They've taken control, if you like, of their peanut allergy now.' 3 'They've taken control, if you like, of their peanut allergy now,' Till said. New Africa – That certainly seems to be how Richard Lassiter, 44, feels. Advertisement 'There was definitely a sense of nerves at first. You know, you have to get your mind around the idea of eating something you've tried to avoid your whole life,' Lassiter told Sky News. 'I obviously had a couple of [dangerous] incidents reasonably fresh in my mind.' Now, eating four peanuts — under medical supervision — is just a normal part of his morning. 3 'I know that that accidental exposure to peanuts isn't going to cause a serious reaction like it has done in the past,' Lassiter said. DenisMArt – 'The idea that I take four peanuts a day now after my breakfast is well-worn routine,' he said. 'I'm certainly much more confident and calm when I go out to dinner with my wife, or when we go traveling. I know that that accidental exposure to peanuts isn't going to cause a serious reaction like it has done in the past.' Brookes-Smith is relieved, too, that peanuts will no longer send his body into 'nuclear meltdown' — though he admitted that he actually hates the taste of them, despite now having to eat them every day to maintain his desensitization. Advertisement Till cautioned that while this is certainly 'not something to do at home,' the treatment has the potential to benefit people with other types of allergies — though larger trials would need to be conducted first. 'The principle should be applicable to other food options, but what I would say is that different foods can behave differently in terms of the amounts that are required to cause reactions and how severe the reactions are,' he told Sky News. 'So to do it in other foods, you really do need to do trials for those specific foods individually.' Advertisement Oral immunotherapy has only been used to treat food allergies for the last two decades, though it's predominantly been conducted on children, as adult allergies tend to be more stubborn. In other words, this peanut breakthrough is nuts.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Man with life-threatening peanut allergy now eats them every day thanks to study
A man with a life-threatening peanut allergy is able to eat several per day thanks to a "ground-breaking" study. Richard Lassiter, 44, says he has been admitted to hospital twice due to his severe nut allergy, but now eats four peanuts every morning as part of a trial which has seen him gradually increase his exposure to them. One of his reactions came during a holiday in Chile with his wife in 2018, when he had a reaction so bad he had to stay in a high dependency unit overnight and have adrenaline and oxygen. He is one of 21 people between the ages of 18 and 40 who took part in the research conducted by King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. The study was the first entirely on adults with severe allergies to test whether daily doses of peanuts taken under strict supervision can be safely tolerated. Other "desensitisation" studies are focused on children, the experts say, meaning adults don't get the opportunity to counter their allergies. The study, called The Grown Up Peanut Immunotherapy trial, saw participants with allergies slowly increase their daily dosage from 0.8mg peanut flour mixed in with food. Once they could tolerate 50-100mg of peanut protein, they were switched to eating whole peanuts, peanut butter or other peanut products. By the end of the study, which was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, two thirds were able to eat the equivalent of five peanuts without reacting. Speaking to Sky's Wilfred Frost, Mr Lassiter said: "There was definitely a sense of nerves at first. You know, you have to get your mind around the idea of eating something you've tried to avoid your whole life. "But I think at the point that I found out about the trial, it was something I was really keen to do. I obviously had a couple of [dangerous] incidents reasonably fresh in my mind." He said the trial had changed his life, adding that he took the nuts like "medicine". "The idea that I take four peanuts a day now after my breakfast is well-worn routine," he said. "I know it's something I'll do for the rest of the rest of my life. "I'm certainly much more confident and calm when I go out to dinner with my wife, or when we go travelling. I know that that accidental exposure to peanuts isn't going to cause a serious reaction like it has done in the past." Read more: He added that he knew it still wasn't safe to order a meal with a strong presence of nuts. Chief investigator Stephen Till, professor of allergy at King's College London and consultant allergist at Guy's and St Thomas', told Sky News the trial provided hope for those with nut allergies, but was definitely "not something to do at home". He said the next step would be to conduct larger trials and identify "the group of adult patients who would most likely benefit from oral immunotherapy, and see whether it can lead to long-term tolerance in this age group". Asked if such trials could potentially benefit people with other types of allergies, Prof Till said: "Potentially, yes. The principle should be applicable to other food options, but what I would say is that different foods can behave differently in terms of the amounts that are required to cause reactions and how severe the reactions are. So to do it in other foods, you really do need to do trials for those specific foods individually." Public health minister Ashley Dalton said: "This ground-breaking research offers hope to thousands living with peanut allergies. For too long, people have navigated daily life in fear of accidental exposure that could be life-threatening. "I'm proud the UK is leading this vital work through NIHR funding. These results show how we're transforming lives through science, potentially changing care standards for adults with peanut allergies worldwide."
Sky News
24-04-2025
- Health
- Sky News
Man with life-threatening peanut allergy now eats them every day thanks to study
A man with a life-threatening peanut allergy is able to eat several per day thanks to a "ground-breaking" study. Richard Lassiter, 44, says he has been admitted to hospital twice due to his severe nut allergy, but now eats four peanuts every morning as part of a trial which has seen him gradually increase his exposure to them. One of his reactions came during a holiday in Chile with his wife in 2018, when he had a reaction so bad he had to stay in a high dependency unit overnight and have adrenaline and oxygen. He is one of 21 people between the ages of 18 and 40 who took part in the research conducted by King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. The study was the first entirely on adults with severe allergies to test whether daily doses of peanuts taken under strict supervision can be safely tolerated. Other "desensitisation" studies are focused on children, the experts say, meaning adults don't get the opportunity to counter their allergies. The study, called The Grown Up Peanut Immunotherapy trial, saw participants with allergies slowly increase their daily dosage from 0.8mg peanut flour mixed in with food. Once they could tolerate 50-100mg of peanut protein, they were switched to eating whole peanuts, peanut butter or other peanut products. By the end of the study, which was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, two thirds were able to eat the equivalent of five peanuts without reacting. Speaking to Sky's Wilfred Frost, Mr Lassiter said: "There was definitely a sense of nerves at first. You know, you have to get your mind around the idea of eating something you've tried to avoid your whole life. "But I think at the point that I found out about the trial, it was something I was really keen to do. I obviously had a couple of [dangerous] incidents reasonably fresh in my mind." He said the trial had changed his life, adding that he took the nuts like "medicine". "The idea that I take four peanuts a day now after my breakfast is well-worn routine," he said. "I know it's something I'll do for the rest of the rest of my life. "I'm certainly much more confident and calm when I go out to dinner with my wife, or when we go travelling. I know that that accidental exposure to peanuts isn't going to cause a serious reaction like it has done in the past." He added that he knew it still wasn't safe to order a meal with a strong presence of nuts. Chief investigator Stephen Till, professor of allergy at King's College London and consultant allergist at Guy's and St Thomas', told Sky News the trial provided hope for those with nut allergies, but was definitely "not something to do at home". He said the next step would be to conduct larger trials and identify "the group of adult patients who would most likely benefit from oral immunotherapy, and see whether it can lead to long-term tolerance in this age group". Asked if such trials could potentially benefit people with other types of allergies, Prof Till said: "Potentially, yes. The principle should be applicable to other food options, but what I would say is that different foods can behave differently in terms of the amounts that are required to cause reactions and how severe the reactions are. So to do it in other foods, you really do need to do trials for those specific foods individually." Public health minister Ashley Dalton said: "This ground-breaking research offers hope to thousands living with peanut allergies. For too long, people have navigated daily life in fear of accidental exposure that could be life-threatening. "I'm proud the UK is leading this vital work through NIHR funding. These results show how we're transforming lives through science, potentially changing care standards for adults with peanut allergies worldwide."
