NHS patients to take part in skin cancer vaccine drive

NHS patients will be able to take part in a revolutionary skin cancer vaccine trial, the health service has announced.

The NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) was unveiled last year with the aim of accelerating access to mRNA vaccine clinical trials for different forms of cancer.

Hundreds of people with bowel cancer have already received personalised vaccines and the programme is now extending to those with advanced skin cancer, otherwise known as melanoma.

The NHS plans to provide up to 10,000 patients in England with personalised, ground-breaking cancer treatments in the UK by 2030 through this programme.

The melanoma vaccine, known as iSCIB1+ (Immunobody), helps the immune system recognise cancer cells and better respond to existing immunotherapy treatment.

By working to help the body recognise, attack and “remember” cancer cells, it can help stop the disease returning.

About half of melanoma patients respond to immunotherapy, but those who do not are at higher risk of their cancer getting worse.

The vaccine is being trialled by needle-free injection into the skin or muscle and the NHS, working with UK life sciences company Scancell, said it will begin next month with dozens taking part by October.

Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, said he was taking steps to fast-track clinical trials and “cut red tape for researchers”.

He said: “This kind of innovation is nothing short of life-saving and I want to see more of these world-leading treatments being developed in the UK.”

Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the UK, accounting for around four per cent of all new cancer cases.

Prof Peter Johnson, the NHS national cancer director, said: “Cancer vaccines have the potential to revolutionise cancer care for patients in this country and across the world – and to save more lives.

“It’s incredibly exciting that the NHS is expanding its world-leading programme so more patients with different types of cancer could benefit from the development of new vaccines that could stop their cancer coming back.”

‘I feel so lucky’

Paul Thomas, 63, from New Milton, Hampshire, was first diagnosed with advanced skin cancer in 2017 and the disease kept returning following treatment.

Last year, the grandfather of four and window cleaning business owner, was given the opportunity to be part of the SCOPE study skin cancer vaccine trial, which is now part of the CVLP so that more patients can take part at NHS sites across the country.

He said: “I feel so lucky to be put on the trial. Thankfully I was still quite fit and since I’ve been on it, my tumours have all shrunk. Every time I go for a scan they seem to be shrinking, which is really exciting.

“I’m really hoping for total eradication of my cancer, as opposed to being put in remission, and I’m feeling optimistic/”

Dr Nermeen Varawalla, the chief medical officer at Scancell, said: “Cancer vaccines have the potential to transform immunotherapy, redefine treatment options and ultimately save lives.

“Recent clinical data has demonstrated that our potent, tumour-targeted off-the-shelf cancer vaccine delivers strong efficacy, with the potential for meaningful long-term survival benefits in patients with advanced metastatic melanoma.”

Susanna Daniels, the chief executive of the charity Melanoma Focus, said cases of skin cancer in the UK were on the rise and so they would be encouraging eligible patients to take part in these ground-breaking trials.