Shorter radiotherapy treatments could improve quality of life for patients with advanced lung cancer

The effectiveness of shorter radiotherapy treatments in improving the quality of life for terminally ill lung cancer patients is being explored by University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust.

The first 23 of 37 patients have now been recruited for the ‘Shortened High-dose Palliative Radiotherapy for Lung Cancer’ (SHiP-Rt) study.

This is the first study of its kind to be sponsored by UHCW NHS Trust and will also involve patients from University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust and The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.*

Patients diagnosed with advanced lung cancer currently receive treatment aimed at controlling their symptoms and allowing them to live longer. Typically, they receive doses of 36 Gray (Gy) radiotherapy, delivered in 12 daily treatments (excluding weekends), over a period of about 16 days.

The SHiP-Rt study is investigating whether delivering higher doses in each sitting, in six treatments given every other day (excluding weekends), is a safe and feasible alternative, using modern radiotherapy techniques.

The potential benefits of this alternative treatment regime include a lower number of treatments for patients, fewer visits to hospital and no additional increase in side effects. It could also deliver wider benefits by saving radiotherapy treatment slots that could be used by other patients, thereby reducing waiting time, and resulting in improved efficiency and cost savings for the NHS.

Dr Raj Shrimali, Consultant Clinical Oncologist at UHCW NHS Trust and Chief Investigator for the study, says the new radiotherapy technique is more customised and effective.

“Palliative patients need make only half the number of visits to hospital for treatment and will receive an equivalent dose in fewer visits, said Dr Shrimali. “Our study will see whether this technique gives patients a better quality of life. We are recruiting patients from across the West Midlands and expect other cancer treatment centres to join in with us in what could eventually turn into a national study.”

SHiP-Rt brings together oncologists, clinical scientists, radiotherapy physicists and radiobiology experts from UHCW NHS Trust, Warwick Medical School and the other trusts.

Dr Jo Hamilton, Consultant Clinical Oncologist at UHCW NHS Trust, said: “This is the first radiotherapy study in lung cancer to have originated in Coventry. We have got an excellent team of radiotherapists and physicists and, as part of this study, we have also recruited our first Radiotherapy Research Fellow.”

The SHiP-Rt study is being funded by the UHCW Charity, Coventry Hospitals Charity and is supported by the Cancer Services and the Research and Development Department at UHCW NHS Trust. It has also been approved by the Health Research Authority (HRA).

* Of the 23 patients recruited to the SHiP-Rt study so far, 12 are from UHCW NHS Trust, eight from The Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust, and three from University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust is in the process of being opened as a site for the study.

Photo caption: Dr Raj Shrimali (right), Chief Investigator for the SHiP-Rt study, pictured with one of UHCW NHS Trust’s Elekta Versa HD linear accelerator systems, which provides high-quality radiation therapy for cancer patients, with (from left) Clinical Assistant Practitioner Sammie Kelly; Principal Clinical Scientist Matt Jones; Clinical Trial co-ordinator Mani Thind; Data Manager Jess Field; Research Radiographer Vicky Sturgess and Senior Research Treatment Sister Rachel Bazley