The NHS has announced that it will fast-track patients with advanced head and neck cancers in England into a clinical trial of an investigational cancer vaccine.
Over 100 patients will be matched to the AHEAD-MERIT trial, which is running at 15 NHS hospitals over the next year.
The first patients in the study have already received BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine candidate, BNT113, designed to help the immune system recognise and kill cancer cells containing human papillomavirus proteins.
More than 11,000 people are diagnosed with head and neck cancers every year in England. These usually develop in the mouth, throat or voice box and, despite advances in care, the advanced form of the disease is difficult to treat, with a two-year survival rate of under 50%.
NHS England and BioNTech will partner to identify potentially eligible patients to refer to hospitals running the study.
The trial forms part of NHS England’s Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP), a ‘matchmaking’ service coordinated by the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit that helps find treatments for patients at their nearest participating hospital.
Peter Johnson, NHS England’s national clinical director for cancer, said: “It’s fantastic that more patients with advanced head and neck cancers will now be able to access this potentially transformative vaccine, offering renewed hope of holding the disease at bay… this expansion of our CVLP will give hundreds of patients the chance to be part of cutting-edge advances in cancer care.”
The CVLP, part of a strategic partnership between NHS England, the government and BioNTech, has already helped refer approximately 550 patients to trials of vaccines for bowel cancer and melanoma.
Iain Foulkes, executive director of research and innovation at Cancer Research UK, said: “The CVLP is an important route to fast-track promising mRNA vaccine technology into clinical trials.
“… There are over 200 different types of cancer and it’s unlikely there will ever be a single cure that works for everyone. That’s why it’s vital that we support a wide range of research, so that more people can live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.”