Pioneering cancer drug treatment goes on trial

Paul Watkins will return to St James's Hospital in Leeds tomorrow for a second week of tests using the drug known only by the name 1070916A.

He was given just weeks to live when he was diagnosed with incurable kidney cancer two years ago. In spite of the grim prognosis, he battled on against serious side effects caused by chemotherapy but in November was told he had exhausted all treatment options.

Latest scans show tumours have spread to his chest, stomach and back and are now around his heart.

But he has been given fresh hope by volunteering for the "first in man" study to test the drug at Cancer Research UK's Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre in Leeds.

The trial is the first being carried out by the charity under a new programme designed to take forward potential treatments which drug companies cannot afford to develop.

About 30-40 patients will take part in trials in Leeds and London of the drug which has been designed in the laboratory by pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.

It is among a new generation of drugs which unlike chemotherapy treatments specifically target cancer cells and goes on to prevent them dividing and growing. Mr Watkins, 43, of Lofthouse Gate, near Wakefield, said he felt privileged to be taking part.

He said: "In my own mind I'm thinking this is my last chance. It might press the pause button and get me a few more years – I would be happy with that.

"There isn't a miracle cure but I'm just hoping it does me some good. It could take 10 years but, if it is developed successfully, I hope it will also help others in the future."

Centre head Prof Chris Twelves, who is leading the trial, said the work was the first in a programme funded by Cancer Research UK to test potential anti-cancer treatments which would not be tested by drug companies due to the time and expense involved.

"This new partnership means that drugs that would otherwise have been left sitting on the shelf will be evaluated in patients, and if they show sufficient promise, they will be further developed," he said.

Chemotherapy drug treatments aim to poison cancers and kill them. But drug 1070916A is part of a group known as aurora kinase inhibitors targeting chemicals in cancer cells which make them divide and grow abnormally.

Prof Twelves said the aim of the initial trial was to make sure the drug was safe, to examine the dosage required and how often it should be given.

Once that was complete, it was hoped in 12-18 months to go on to find out how effective the drug was.

"What we want is a drug that is safe and is doing what laboratory studies have shown it is designed to do.

"By stopping the cells dividing, we hope we will be able to control their growth."

The drug was not yet designed to treat a particular cancer. That decision would be made after tests indicated if it was successful and against cancer types.

"Having the facilities here supported by Cancer Research UK does give our patients, who come from right across Yorkshire, the opportunity to take part in these clinical trials and hopefully we will continue to see the benefits in new treatments," he added.