A major study looking at the impact of COVID-19 on people with cancer has opened to Clatterbridge patients.

Called the Clinical Characterisation Protocol Cancer-UK, the two-year study looks at how cancer patients admitted to hospital with the virus have fared, collecting death rates and other information across all types of tumour to see how the virus has impacted on their treatment and care.

The outcomes of cancer patients will be compared to similar patients without cancer to better understand the true impact of cancer on outcomes with coronavirus.

The study, launched last year, has now been extended to cover patients at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, which is acting as sponsor of the research.

The results are expected to shape future decisions on cancer treatment by giving clinicians an understanding of the individual level of risk that Covid poses to their patients.

The data will be compared to non-cancer patients with COVID-19 so any differences can be identified and conclusions drawn.

The research is being headed up by Professor Carlo Palmieri, consultant medical oncologist at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and chair of translational oncology at the University of Liverpool, and Dr Lance Turtle, consultant in infectious Diseases at Liverpool University Hospitals.

Funding for the study was provided initially by The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity, with further funding coming from the National Institute for Health Research and UK Research and Innovation.

The study is being run through the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) in Liverpool, a collaboration between The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and the University of Liverpool, and it is being facilitated by the Liverpool Cancer Trials Centre. Liverpool ECMC is one of 18 adult ECMC centres across the UK who drive the discovery, development and testing of new treatment to combat cancer.   

Dr Gillian Heap, director of research and innovation operations at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We are really pleased that this very important study is now open at Clatterbridge.

"The data our patients provide from their experiences will be invaluable in shaping this research, which is vital to our understanding on how COVID-19 impacts on cancer patients and so can inform clinicians' decision-making on the treatment and care of these individuals, who may be at greater risk from the virus.

"This study may also shape practice for similar infectious diseases and so its findings will be extremely valuable to the NHS."

Prof Carlo Palmieri (pictured, below) said: “In this study we are aiming to gather more granular information on people with cancer to work out if all patients would have an increased risk of death from COVID, or are there certain subgroups who are at lower or greater risk.

Wirral Globe:

"This kind of data is crucial for people to be more informed when deciding to delay or progress with their treatment.”

Prof Andy Pettitt, director of Liverpool Cancer Research Institute and LHP Cancer Programme Director, Consultant haemato-oncologist at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and Professor of Experimental Medicine at the University of Liverpool, said: "CCP-Cancer-UK is a great example of Liverpool's ability to work across traditional boundaries and is a testament to how local structures such as the Liverpool Cancer Research Institute can help researchers to develop complex, cross-disciplinary studies and bring them to fruition by supporting funding applications and navigating the sometimes complex landscape of approvals required.

"Now the study is open, we look forward to seeing the results which will no doubt help to shape public health policy during the next stages of the pandemic."