“A quantum leap in palliative radiotherapy for lung cancer”
Thanks to your generous donations, we have funded a ground-breaking clinical trial exploring a new approach to radiotherapy for patients with advanced lung cancer.
In December 2024, Dr Raj Shrimali, Dr Ellanna Griffin and their team began investigating whether delivering a higher dose of radiotherapy over fewer sessions was safe and could provide greater benefits for patients.
Traditionally, patients with advanced lung cancer receive radiotherapy over 12–13 daily sessions over approximately two and a half weeks. In this trial, patients received a higher dose per session, in just six sessions (on alternate days) over two weeks. This shorter treatment schedule reduces the physical and emotional burden of hospital visits, minimises travel and discomfort, and allows patients to complete their treatment sooner, enabling them to progress more quickly on to their next line of care.
Importantly, the streamlined schedule also increases departmental capacity, meaning more patients can be treated each week.
Precision has been central to the study. Before every treatment, each patient’s lungs were scanned to ensure pinpoint accuracy. In many cases, the clinicians could see tumours actively shrinking on these scans (even before the treatment course was completed), which was a powerful and encouraging indicator of the treatment’s effectiveness.
In this early phase study, all 31 patients with advanced or metastatic lung cancer responded extremely well.
For some patients, the impact has been life changing.
Karen was diagnosed with a very rare type of lung cancer that had caused her lung to collapse. Following the higher-dose radiotherapy, the tumour reduced significantly, allowing her lung to re-expand and dramatically improve her quality of life.
John had previously been treated for leukaemia and undergone a stem cell transplant. During the trial, his lung cancer responded very well to the intensified radiotherapy, and his symptoms improved considerably. He is now doing well and continuing treatment with immunotherapy.
Dr Shrimali described the results as: “A quantum leap in palliative radiotherapy for lung cancer. It takes palliative radiotherapy to the next level. This trial will show that this approach is safe and improves quality of life for patients with advanced lung cancer. It is the first real advancement in palliative lung radiotherapy in over 25 years.”
Oncology never stands still. Funding pioneering medical research like this is essential to improving outcomes for patients facing advanced disease. The success of this early phase study will pave the way for a larger, national Phase III trial, where this radiotherapy approach could be combined with other treatments, such as immunotherapy, potentially delivering even greater benefits for patients across the country.
Your support is driving real progress and bringing genuine hope to people facing this devastating diagnosis. This research simply would not be possible without you.
“1 in 2 of us will get cancer in our lifetime. Your support is funding world-leading research to improve treatment for our advanced lung cancer patients. On their behalf, thank you.”
Jo O’Sullivan, UHCW Charity Director