We are fundraising for a procedure (the USPIO clinical trial) that seems to improve both diagnosis and treatment.
Limited clinical trial opportunities exist for brain tumour patients in New Zealand and around the world. The NZBTT wants to change this.
A pilot clinical trial (the USPIO study-Ethics reference 17/CEN/176) based here in New Zealand has investigated if an MRI brain scan coupled with a known medication can better image brain tumours before surgery. Preliminary results are very promising. The scanned image appears as good, if not better, than the current scanning techniques, and with less side effects. This means that the patient feels better and that the surgeon and oncologist have more information. The scan shows the surgeon where to remove the tumour so that it can be removed more completely. The oncologist can decide which medications are best for treatment.
The pilot study showed that the scanned image could be more useful, but, surprisingly, patient survival also seems longer!
A further study with more patients will be led by Dunedin Hospital Neurosurgeon Mr Ahmad Taha along with Christchurch Hospital Clinicians, and Research led by Associate Professor Tania Slatter at the Otago Medical School, University of Otago.
In this graph we show two groups of patients divided according to whether or not they participated in the USPIO study.
Green Dots NOT on study– The green dots are many patients (with one type of tumour) and time of their death after diagnosis showing (on the horizontal line) less than 20 months survival. This group did not participate in the USPIO study.
Blue dots on USPIO study- The blue dots are a few patients with survival time after diagnosis who had the study procedure. Everyone lived for at least the same time as the green dot patients and some are still going. This group participated in the USPIO trial. Survival (from the green to blue line) has advanced considerably for this group.
The trial now needs more participants to make sure the images are always better than the current scanning technique and to ensure that the survival effect is real.
This clinical trial is open to those with glioblastoma or brain metastasis from cancers elsewhere in the body. Please contact Neurosurgeon Mr Ahmad Taha at Dunedin Hospital or Dr Noelyn Hung for further information (NZBTTemail@gmail.com).
Have a brain tumour trial to bring to NZ? Please contact us.