A Nottingham patient has become the first person to take part in an international trial that aims to improve treatment for brain cancer. Those behind the major project say patients could have a better quality of life and more could live disease-free thanks to the research.
The Nottingham University Hospitals Trust (NUH) is leading the new study at five hospitals across the UK. The trial is known as the OptiMATe trial and is funded by the Cancer Research UK charity.
Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a type of blood cancer that affects the brain and can be difficult to treat. A previous trial found that a treatment called MATRix, which is a combination of chemotherapy drugs and an immunotherapy treatment called rituximab, followed by a stem cell transplant, could lead to long-term survival for around 70% of people.
