The James Paget has become the first hospital in the UK to recruit a patient to a new international research study.
The study is focused on a new way of administering Atezolizumab, an immunotherapy drug which has been used by the NHS to treat various cancers since 2017.
Atezolizumab is generally administered to patients via intravenous infusion. The new study – entitled IMscin4RealUK – will see patients receive the drug via subcutaneous injection.
Principal Investigator for the James Paget, Specialist Doctor in Medical Oncology Dr May Han, and Cancer Clinical Research Nurse Smita Varghese, worked closely together to recruit a lung cancer patient receiving treatment at our hospital.
The patient met all the eligibility criteria and, earlier this month, became the first UK participant in the study, which is now recruiting at hospitals not only across the country but Europe too.
The study is focused assessing how the new method of drug delivery impacts on patient satisfaction, convenience and quality of life.
Feedback and data will be gathered through questionnaires that will be completed by patients when they have their treatment, which at our hospital will take place at the Sandra Chapman Centre.
In addition, the study will seek the views of healthcare staff on the convenience of preparing and administering the treatment.
“It’s great that our hospital is involved in this important research project - and our patient is very excited to be the first recruit,” said Smita.
“Getting involved in this latest study demonstrates our hospital’s commitment to ensuring that we give our patients every opportunity to access research studies, so they can make an active contribution to improving healthcare.
“And it is not just patients in the future that benefit. It is well-documented that research participants benefit in a number of ways including better adherence of treatment plans and increased monitoring of conditions,” she added.
The recruitment of the first patient to the study is not only an important milestone for the James Paget – but for Smita too.
She joined the research team from a ward a year ago, fulfilling an ambition to become more involved in research – and IMscin4RealUK is her first large-scale study.
Already, Smita’s contribution has been recognised by service provider IQVIA, which is working in partnership with pharmaceutical company Roche, which is the study sponsor.
IQVIA praised Smita for her ‘sound contribution in patient recruitment and consenting, which helped us to reach a very important milestone for the study: the first patient for the UK’ – and described her attitude towards clinical research as ‘exemplary.’
Smita has been supported in her work on the study by colleagues from the Paget’s Research and Development team including Head of Research Helen Hall; Lead Research Setup Specialist Sarah Girling; Senior Research Nurse Christian Hacon; Cancer Research Nurse Wendy Harrison; Research Administrators Rhia Morley and Montana Boast; and Data Manager Amy Garrod.
It is hoped that more than 200 patients - including 10 from the James Paget – will be recruited to the study, which is running in hospitals across the UK and in European countries including Austria, Italy, Poland and Spain.