A “GROUNDBREAKING” bowel cancer vaccine is set to be trialled on the NHS and Australia in a world first.
The jab will be trialled at Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust and experts say it could completely rid patients of the disease.
Dr Tony Dhillon, of Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, says a new bowel cancer vaccine is ‘groundbreaking’
The vaccine is given to patients before surgery and causes the body’s immune system to attack tumours, meaning operations can be less invasive.
Dr Tony Dhillon, of Royal Surrey, said: “This is groundbreaking. I feel as if we are on the edge of something really big here.
“The vaccine makes the immune system go after the cancer.
“It will be life changing because it means that potentially, patients may not need to have surgery — they may just have the vaccine.
“This is the first treatment vaccine in any gastrointestinal cancer and we have high hopes that it will be very successful.
“We think that for a lot of patients, the cancer will have completely gone after this treatment.”
Around 43,000 Brits are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year, with 268,000 living with the disease today.
It is the UK’s second deadliest cancer, claiming 16,500 lives each year.
However, nearly everyone survives it if diagnosed at the earliest stage, according to Bowel Cancer UK.
Symptoms include bleeding from the back passage or changes in your normal bowel habits, such as looser poo, pooing more often or constipation.
The Sun’s No Time 2 Lose campaign, spearheaded by the late Dame Deborah James, has called for earlier testing and treatments to improve survival rates in Britain.
The vaccine, designed by clinical stage immuno-oncology company Imugene Ltd, is set to be rolled out at 10 sites.
I feel as if we are on the edge of something really big here
Dr Tony Dhillon
Six will be in Australia and four in the UK, with 44 patients to be enrolled in the study over 18 months.
After the trial finishes, the jab will either be licensed for use, or if it’s successful a bigger study will be carried out.
The vaccine is given as three doses, two weeks apart, and patients will be given an endoscopy and tissue sample to see if they are eligible.
Experts hope the jab’s strength could support the immune system to respond if there is a relapse and the cancer returns later on.
Dr Dhillon proposed the idea for the trial and has worked with Professor Tim Price in Australia for the last four years to develop the vaccine.
He said: “The work we have done here at Royal Surrey is fantastic.
“We are hugely proud to have been involved in this worldwide trial and believe it could be key to treating bowel cancer in the future.”
Royal Surrey’s Chief Executive Louise Stead said: “We are hugely proud to have been involved in the launch of this ground-breaking new vaccine.
“As the fourth largest cancer centre in the UK, helping to fight cancer is a huge part of what we do and this will really provide an opportunity for bowel cancer patients and give them real hope of beating the disease.
“I would like to say a huge well done to Dr Tony Dhillon and everyone associated with this trial for all their hard work.”
What are the symptoms of bowel cancer?
Symptoms of bowel cancer may include:
changes in your poo, such as having softer poo, diarrhoea or constipation that is not usual for you
needing to poo more or less often than usual for you
blood in your poo, which may look red or black
bleeding from your bottom
often feeling like you need to poo, even if you’ve just been to the toilet
tummy pain
bloating
losing weight without trying
feeling very tired for no reason
Source: The NHS