Defining the future of pancreatic cancer care
This is Maxine, one of the first 50 public (National Health Service) patients in the UK who has been able to access GenesisCare Foundation’s Compassionate Access Program, sharing her experience of finding hope through innovation.
“Without this treatment, I don’t actually know if I’d be here”, says Maxine of the program that’s a first of its kind collaboration between GenesisCare Foundation, GenesisCare UK, the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund, the University of Oxford and ViewRay.
Providing compassionate access for public patients with inoperable advanced or recurrent pancreatic cancer, GenesisCare Foundation is pleased to announce the program has now reached its half-way mark. Initial data analysis shows many patients have experienced sustained tumour control, with no need for further therapy and no late radiation toxicity.
The Pancreatic Compassionate Access Program is providing treatment options to patients who would otherwise have none by enabling access to a new way of delivering stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) which allows radiation doses that can control tumour growth in a much shorter time – just five days, on the UK’s first MRIdian MR Linac at GenesisCare. This innovative technology provides live, detailed images and increased accuracy in hitting the target while avoiding major, healthy organs situated nearby.
Along with ensuring accessibility to the best-possible care for all, this Compassionate Access Program is revolutionising the standard of care by informing the development of nationally-agreed protocols for this patient group.
Dr James Good, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, GenesisCare UK, says, “Through the participation of patients in this programme, we’ve been able to educate our colleagues in the UK about the role of this treatment and bring them up to speed on how exactly this novel technique can be delivered.
“In terms of outcomes, no acute grade 3+ duodenal toxicity has been seen in our cohort to date, and several patients who underwent SABR are now six months out from their treatment, with no disease progression and no late radiation toxicity.”
This program is defining the future of pancreatic cancer care; generating data that will help embed MR-guided SABR in UK practice as well as, facilitating rapid recruitment for a joint GenesisCare Foundation and University of Oxford study to evaluate dose escalation for pancreatic cancer.
Aspirations for this treatment are great with a similar program soon launching in Australia, that will treat both public and private patients. GenesisCare Foundation’s ultimate goal being to leverage GenesisCare’s world-wide network to achieve a global solution to treating this disease.
To find out more about the work of GenesisCare Foundation, visit www.genesiscarefoundation.org or reach out to us at info@genesiscarefoundation.org
