The European initiation of a Phase II clinical trial studying the effectiveness of tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) therapy in the treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma has been announced by Sarah Cannon Research Institute — UK.
Europe
The institute, which is part of HCA Healthcare UK, provides access to clinical trials for both private and NHS cancer patients and in one of 25 centres worldwide participating in Iovance Biotherapeutics’ Phase II TIL trial.
Patients included in the trial will be those with late-stage melanoma where prior treatments have proven ineffective. This trial was initiated at HCA Healthcare UK at University College Hospital, a complex cancer facility in London.
“We are pleased to offer this cutting-edge immunotherapy option for patients facing melanoma throughout Europe,” said Carol Woodward, vice president of Sarah Cannon Development, Innovations and European Operations. “Through Sarah Cannon Research Institute — UK, Part of HCA Healthcare UK, we can ensure our patients have access to the latest treatments in their cancer journey.”
“We are excited to offer this therapy to melanoma patients seeking the latest options,” said Hendrik-Tobias Arkenau, MD, PhD, FRCP, executive medical director of the Drug Development Programme, Sarah Cannon Research Institute – UK. “TIL therapy is an innovative treatment that brings together a multidisciplinary team to provide patients with access to a complex and cutting-edge treatment approach.”
TIL therapy is a procedure involving the enrichment of white blood cells that have migrated towards a tumour in the aim of fighting and reducing cancer. The therapy involves the extraction of TIL cells from a patient’s tumour to then be amplified in a laboratory to increase their quantity. These are then infused back into the patient. In a recent abstract, presented at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting, the potential of this therapy to offer durable and complete responses was indicated.