Letterkenny University Hospital
Letterkenny University Hospital is one of 20 hospitals in Ireland that currently offer clinical trials to cancer patients.
The information was released to mark International Clinical Trials Day which takes place today.
Dr Karen Duffy, Consultant Oncologist and Mary Grace Kelly, Oncology Research Nurse in Letterkenny University Hospital have been involved in running ICORG clinical trials since 2009.
The trials are coordinated nationally by ICORG (All Ireland Cooperative Oncology Research Group).
This group was set up in 1996 by cancer consultants around Ireland. The aim was to create more research opportunities for patients by putting a formal structure in place to make Ireland a more attractive location to international cancer research groups and the pharmaceutical industry.
Since it was established in 1996, more than 15,000 patients have participated in more than 350 cancer trials. During 2015, 20 hospital based research centres around the country were working on 154 ICORG trials involving 6312 patients; 66 were open and recruiting patients and 88 were in the follow up stage. 98% of all cancer treating specialists in Ireland are members of ICORG.
Mary Grace said that many people in Donegal have participated in clinical trials.
“We also have links with all of the other cancer centres around the country and can refer patients to those centres for consideration in a trial that may only be running in a particular hospital”.
Last night at the Mansion House in Dublin, ICORG launched their “Just Ask!” campaign on the eve of International Clinical Trials Day. This campaign is to encourage patients who have cancer, and indeed their families, to ask their healthcare professionals if there are any cancer trials underway or planned that might be suitable for them. Additionally on the night they announced a re-branding and are now called Cancer Trials Ireland.
Dr Karen Duffy, Consultant Oncologist at Letterkenny University Hospital said that by taking part in a cancer trial patients help to test new ways to detect and treat cancer.
“New and more effective approaches cannot be developed without cancer trials”, she said. “All cancer treatments used today were once tested through a cancer trial. Trials are really important for finding new ways to prevent, find and treat cancer, and help improve the quality of life for people with cancer”.
The value of drugs used during cancer trials provided by industry free of charge between 2012 and 2014 is estimated at €18M.
We would encourage anybody who would like to find out more about cancer trials going on at Letterkenny University hospital or around the country to contact a member of our trial team. We would be delighted to answer your questions.
