New life-giving brain cancer clinical trials to be offered to people in Yorkshire

New ground-breaking brain cancer clinical trials designed to improve survival and quality of life will be available in Yorkshire for people with glioblastoma, the most common type of brain cancer.

Funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research, EPIC-GB, a £6.9 million programme of clinical trials, led by experts at the University of Sheffield and the University of Glasgow, aim to transform how cancer drug treatments are tested for people with recurrent glioblastoma, so they can access new and potentially life-extending treatment options. 

Glioblastoma is the most common and fastest-growing type of brain cancer. Most people diagnosed with the disease will see recurrence within the first year, meaning the cancer has returned after earlier treatment. Each year in Yorkshire, around 247 people are diagnosed with glioblastoma and sadly, around 181 people die.  

Unfortunately, many cancer drugs are ineffective in treating people with glioblastoma because they are unable to reach the tumour due to a protective layer around the brain called the blood-brain barrier. This challenge has played a key role in the lack of significant breakthroughs for treating glioblastoma since 2007.

Clinical trials involving people with glioblastoma are urgently needed to find out if different cancer drugs are likely to get into the brain and work.  

The EPIC-GB trials would enable people to start trial treatments before surgery. Tumour tissue removed during the operation can then be studied, creating a valuable ‘window of opportunity’ to quickly understand which drugs reach the tumour and are likely to be effective.

By identifying promising treatments as early as possible, people with recurrent glioblastoma can continue those treatments, or stop them early if they don’t get into the brain. This helps the person avoid unnecessary side effects and move to alternative and potentially more effective options more quickly.

Delivered through dedicated Centres of Excellence for brain cancer, the new trials, pioneered in Yorkshire, will be offered to people living with recurrent glioblastoma in Sheffield, Leeds and Hull, as well as Edinburgh, Manchester and Nottingham. These centres will bring together the NHS, researchers, pharmaceutical companies and people affected by cancer, enabling people to access new treatments closer to home that could give them more time with loved ones.

People affected by cancer play a vital role in shaping how EPIC-GB will be designed and delivered across Yorkshire and beyond. By sharing their perspectives from living with glioblastoma themselves, or supporting a loved one, their voices are helping to ensure the needs and experiences of those affected by brain cancer are at the heart of decision-making throughout the trial. 

After being diagnosed with brain cancer last year and facing limited treatment options in Yorkshire, 47-year-old mum-of-two Emma Ward from York is sharing her experience. She wants to highlight the urgent need for more research and champion the difference EPIC-GB could make for people in Yorkshire.  

In early 2025, Emma first experienced problems with her spatial awareness and coordination. While driving her daughter to dance class, she was unable to hold her car keys to turn the ignition on, and then four weeks later, couldn’t pick up her fork to eat her lunch at work.

A CT scan at York Hospital revealed Emma had a tumour in her brain. Following surgery at Hull Royal Infirmary, Emma was told her tumour was cancerous and classed as grade 4 - the fastest growing type of brain tumour. She went on to complete a six-week course of radiotherapy alongside chemotherapy which she finished in January.

Emma made considerable efforts to access additional treatment through clinical trials but soon found that availability for people with brain cancers in Yorkshire was extremely limited. With few options, she travelled abroad to access an immunotherapy treatment, funded by £145,000 raised by friends and family. 

She said: "With no further options for me in the UK, I couldn’t just sit and wait to die. All I could think about was the extra time this treatment could give with my husband and my daughters. My friends did everything they could, and I was completely blown away by the kindness and generosity people showed. But it shouldn’t have to be like this. Too many people lose their lives because there are so few options for treating brain cancers.”  

Reflecting on the potential impact of the EPIC-GB trials being developed in Yorkshire, Emma said: “It feels as though brain cancers have been placed in the ‘too hard’ box’, so investment in research is held back out of fear nothing will work and survival rates can never improve. Research around the world is showing there is hope for improvement, and Yorkshire Cancer Research is helping to bring hope right here to our region.”  

Emma’s most recent scan in March showed her tumour is currently stable. She has since travelled abroad for a second course of treatment and is continuing to work and spend valuable time with her loved ones. 

Yorkshire Cancer Research is funding £75m of cancer research and services, including 26 clinical trials, to find new and better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer in Yorkshire.  

The charity works with researchers and cancer experts to bring vital expertise and knowledge to the region, so people in Yorkshire are among the first to benefit from innovative cancer breakthroughs. This includes the co-lead researcher of EPIC-GB, Mr Ola Rominiyi, a brain cancer surgeon and researcher in Sheffield who is pioneering new and better ways to treat people with brain cancer.  

Mr Ola Rominiyi, Clinical Lecturer in Neurosurgery at the University of Sheffield and Neurosurgical Resident at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Despite our best efforts, current treatments for fast-growing brain cancers are not good enough to resist the aggressive nature of the disease and they remain challenging to treat. People in Yorkshire have also historically faced fewer opportunities to take part in research for glioblastoma. 

Survival rates for people diagnosed with glioblastoma in Yorkshire are often lower than the national average. Many people diagnosed with glioblastoma in Yorkshire also have fewer opportunities to take part in clinical trials compared to other regions in the UK. There are many reasons for this, including Yorkshire’s large and diverse geography, and higher levels of deprivation in some areas, meaning not everyone is able to take part in innovative research.  

EPIC-GB will help tackle these regional inequalities by improving access to clinical trials and focusing on communities in Yorkshire that are historically under-represented in cancer research, including Black and South Asian communities and those experiencing high levels of deprivation.  

Dr Stuart Griffiths, Director of Research, Policy and Impact at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said: “For far too long, people with glioblastoma have faced limited treatment options and there remains an urgent need for more research. EPIC-GB opens new opportunities for people with recurrent glioblastoma, including those underrepresented in research, to trial potentially life-extending treatments. These advancements have the potential to give people in our region more years of life, resulting in more time spent with loved ones.

EPIC-GB will also involve researchers from other UK centres including Glasgow and the Institute of Cancer Research Clinical Trials and Statistics Unit in London, helping to strengthen national progress in brain cancer treatment and ensure progress starting in Yorkshire can benefit people with brain cancer across the UK.  

Professor Anthony Chalmers, co-lead of the EPIC-GB trials, is bringing vital expertise from the University of Glasgow to help researchers determine more quickly whether each cancer drug tested in the trial has the potential to extend the lives of people with glioblastoma.  

Christina Yap, Professor of Clinical Trials Biostatistics at The Institute of Cancer Research and EPIC-GB Trial Methodology Lead, said: “EPIC-GB introduces a next-generation approach to carrying out early-stage research into glioblastoma. Its flexible design allows researchers to learn quickly whether a new therapy can reach the brain and shows real promise for helping people live longer. By building in regular checkpoints along the way, researchers can move promising treatments forward faster – and stop pursuing those that aren’t working – so time and resources go where they can make the biggest difference.”

Dr Helen Bulbeck, Patient Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) co-lead for EPIC-GB, has worked closely with the research team to ensure the views and priorities of people with glioblastoma guide key decisions on the research from the outset.

Dr Helen Bulbeck, Director of Services & Policy at brainstrust and PPIE co-lead for EPIC-GB, said: “People affected by brain tumours have too often seen research progress without their voice being properly heard. EPIC-GB is different. PPIE hasn’t been added on at the end - it has been built into the trial from day one. As co-lead, I’ve seen how this approach is influencing how the study is designed, who it aims to reach and what outcomes really matter to people with glioblastoma. This is how partnership in research should work, and I hope EPIC-GB sets a benchmark for future trials.”