Novartis joins in Cancer Research UK’s rare cancers study
The pharmaceutical company Novartis has joined the charity Cancer Research UK’s DETERMINE trial to see if current cancer treatments could be applied to patients with rarer forms of cancer.
The Pharma Times reported that the DETERMINE trial, which was only launched in November, has received a boost from the major pharmaceutical company joining the study. The University of Manchester and Roche are already part of the trail to focus on multi-drug precision treatments for any form of rare cancer.
This will open access to a broader range of treatments for adults, teenagers, and children. Who currently have a more limited choice of treatments than other cancer patients when it comes to rarer forms of cancer such as brain tumours.
Brain cancers are among the least common types of cancer in the UK. The NHS reports that about 11,000 people are diagnosed with brain tumours each year in the UK, and about half of these are cancerous.
The Brain Tumour Charity reports that the most common symptoms of a brain tumour include headaches, changes in vision, seizures, nausea and dizziness, tiredness, and loss of taste and smell. Anyone experiencing persistent symptoms is advised to contact their GP for a check-up.
If your GP suspects a brain tumour, you will be referred to a specialist for a neurological examination. If the diagnosis is a brain tumour, you will be informed about the various types of treatment.
The most severe cancerous tumours are usually treated with either neurosurgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of some or all of these.
One of the most advanced and least invasive types of brain tumour treatment is a type of stereotactic radiotherapy, also sometimes known as Gamma Knife surgery. The technique directs targeted beams of low-dose radiation at the tumour from various angles.
Whatever the treatment, whether it be multi-drug precision treatments as in the DETERMINE trial. Or advanced treatments like the Gamma Knife. Institutions, organisations and global corporations are working together to treat cancer.
