The National Brain Cancer Mission has identified the importance of timely access to Brain Cancer clinical trials for all patients.
Sometimes the best option for older people with aggressive brain cancer (glioblastoma) may be to take a short course of radiation (3 weeks) combined with a chemotherapy drug called temozolomide. This shorter radiation treatment was recently tested and proven useful in older people by a large international group including our own MHF Fellow Dr Mike Fay.
A new national clinical trial, coordinated by COGNO, is being run to add the immune therapy drug nivolumab to this short course of radiation and chemotherapy in a trial called the NUTMEG trial. Newcastle Case Study:
In Newcastle this trial is being run at the Newcastle Private Hospital by the Oncology Clinical Trials Unit with Dr Craig Gedye and Dr James Lynam, and is open to suitable patients.
It will only be through the work of the MHF Brain Cancer Care Coordinator liaising with the trials unit that we will be able to identify patients who have been advised by their radiation specialist to take the short form of the radiation. Older people with glioblastoma in the Hunter New England area will be considered to take part in the study which is now open.
The MHF Scientific Committee will use this local case study of clinical trial facilitation to push for State Government funding of these care co-ordination roles into the future. This funding is vital to ensure access to clinical trials is easily facilitated all across the country to as many patients possible.