World first patient on innovative new kidney cancer study recruited by Eastern team

An NHS trust in the Eastern region has recruited the first participant to a new global kidney cancer study.

The cancer research team at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital were the first of 16 sites across the European Union and the US to recruit a patient. The AURORAX-087A study, sponsored by Elypta AB, hopes to improve the detection of the recurrence of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), the most common form of kidney cancer, in patients who have already undergone surgery for the condition.

More than 322,000 people are diagnosed with ccRCC each year globally. Of the 70 to 80% who undergo curative surgery for localised disease, 20% will suffer a recurrence within five years, with about half of those within the first two years.

Current follow-up guidelines recommend patients are invited for imaging tests at regular intervals. However, about 30% of recurrences are detected outside these appointments, with symptoms often already advanced. The study will use a liquid biopsy to, it is hoped, detect tumour progression more rapidly than imaging.

Mark Rochester, Urology Consultant at NNUH, said: “It is a great privilege to be the first in the world and reflects the amazing cancer research team we have here at the Trust. Our patients are very research active and are very open to considering taking part in research trials.”

Dr Helen Macdonald, Chief Operating Officer for the National Institute for Health Research, Clinical Research Network Eastern said: “This is a fantastic achievement for the research team at NNUH and is a clear reflection on their hard work and commitment. Collaboration with NHS and commercial partners is vital in helping to develop studies which best meet the demands of modern healthcare”.

This study is one of hundreds of cancer studies taking place at NHS trusts in the Eastern region. To find out more about research taking place visit the NIHR's Be Part of Research website.