This week the CHFT Research Team will be celebrating International Clinical Trials Day, which will be held on Tuesday, 20th May, by sharing some of the inspirational stories from CHFT patients who have taken part in clinical research. You can read just one of the impactful stories below.
Throughout this week, follow @CHFTResearch on X (formerly Twitter) or use #BePartOfResearch to learn more.
International Clinical Trials Day aligns with the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR's) flagship initiative to encourage public participation in health and care research.
How the FITNESS study has been the vehicle for one of our patients to live his life
Our patient, 73 years old, is a cyclist, skier, and has run 15 marathons. He met his wife behind the school bike sheds and they married in 1953.
He suffered a groin strain after a 4-mile run and was referred for a pelvis x-ray by his GP, which didn’t flag anything untoward. He returned to his GP in February 2021 with new lower back pain and was sent for more tests. Unfortunately, the tests showed a diagnosis of myeloma.
He was seen by Dr Gill and our Research Nurse Sam to discuss potential treatment options. The current standard care for patients in this situation was set doses of Lenalidomide and Dexamethasone based on their age. However, the FITNESS trial offered the addition of lxazomib for our frail and elderly myeloma patients who are unable to have stem cell transplant.
He agreed to participate in the trial and was randomised to receive frailty adjusted doses of chemotherapy. His frailty score was 0, he was classed as fit, and therefore received the maximum dose possible when he started treatment.
He completed 12 cycles of treatment and was then randomised again to decide his maintenance treatment, Lenalidomide + Ixazomib or Placebo. The current Gold Standard for maintenance treatment was Lenalidomide only, so the FITNESS trial offered participants a 50/50 chance of receiving Ixasomib in addition. This was a blinded treatment, and our clinical pharmacy team dispense drugs using an allocated KIT number to ensure we don’t know what the participant is receiving.
So far, he has had 29 cycles of maintenance treatment. The FITNESS study gave him additional options to standard care, the best treatment and advice.
Our patient said, “Everything is about progress. In the last 5 years in particularly, treatment for myeloma has moved on immensely – only possible because of research. If I need to take these meds for the next 10 years then so be it, it’s better than the alternative!”
About International Clinical Trials Day
International Clinical Trials Day commemorates the day that James Lind started his trial on the deadly disease scurvy. In 1747, Lind was serving as a surgeon on HMS Salisbury. His trial consisted of 12 men with scurvy, who were grouped into pairs and given a variety of dietary supplements from cider to oranges and lemons. After six days, there was a noticeable improvement in the group eating the fruit, providing evidence of the link between citrus fruits and scurvy. Clinical trials have developed a great deal since Lind’s discovery and are of vital importance in medical research.