Leeds scientist to trial cannabis-based drug to treat brain cancer
The trial is set to begin in March 2022
A cannabis-based drug is going to be used to treat the most aggressive form of brain tumours on patients in Leeds.
The trial of Sativex will begin March next year- and will look at using the spray alongside chemotherapy could extend life for thousands of people.
It's thought it could extend life for thousands of people- and is already used to treat those with MS.
If the trial proves successful, researchers hope it could represent one of the first additions to NHS treatment for glioblastoma patients in more than a decade.
It will measure whether adding Sativex to chemotherapy extends the overall length of patients’ lives, delays the progression of their disease, or improves quality of life.
The principle investigator on the study, Susan Short, professor of clinical oncology and neuro-oncology at the University of Leeds, said:
“The treatment of glioblastomas remains extremely challenging.
“Even with surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, nearly all of these brain tumours regrow within a year, and unfortunately there are very few options for patients once this occurs.
“Cannabinoids have well-described effects in the brain and there has been a lot of interest in their use across different cancers for a long time now.
“It’s really exciting that we’re now at the point where we can run a definitive, well-designed study that will tell us the answer to whether these agents could help treat the most aggressive form of brain tumour."