Clinical Trials
Within the NHS we are running several clinical trials of new treatments that you may be asked to take part in. The advantages are that you are helping to answer an important question by taking part, and you may get a potentially beneficial drug or other treatment before it becomes widely available. You also get more closely monitored. Disadvantages are that there may be unexpected side effects and we don’t know whether the ‘new’ treatment is better than the standard treatment. Please ask your oncologist about clinical trials, although if there is one available for which you are suitable they are likely to have mentioned it.
I am actively involved in research in the following areas:
- Functional Imaging of cancer - Looking for novel ways to assess whether treatment is effective, and ways to assess treatment effect early (days/weeks)
- Assessing blood flow within tumours before and after treatment with anticancer or antivascular therapies.
- Combining new chemotherapies and biological therapies with radiotherapy.
- Pioneering robotic radiosurgery using the CyberKnife
Please contact me if you are interested in these research projects. Several clinical trials are currently active and recruiting, or in set-up at Guy’s & St Thomas’ hospitals.