A NEW clinical trial could lead to less 'toxic' treatment for blood cancer.

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is implementing a new clinical trial which will give blood cancer patients access to a promising, active lower intensity treatment option.

The VICTOR clinical trial, which is funded by Cancer Research UK and led by Dr Richard Dillon from Guy’s Hospital in London, will examine the efficacy of venetoclax-based treatment in treating certain groups of older patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

If found to be effective, the treatment could spare future patients some of the more toxic effects of traditional intensive chemotherapy.

The health board will be delivering the trial as part of the Trials Acceleration Programme (TAP) Network, a group of 12 centres across the UK funded by blood cancer charity, Cure Leukaemia, to deliver clinical trials that aim to transform outcomes for patients with blood cancer.

In total 40 UK centres will deliver the VICTOR trial, which is one of five forthcoming blood cancer studies announced by Cure Leukaemia yesterday.

Cardiff and Vale UHB will also be delivering the PROMise clinical trial, which will assess the clinical benefit of a new combination of drugs in improving quality of life for high-risk myelofibrosis patients.

Dr Steve Knapper, Clinical Reader at Cardiff University School of Medicine and Co-Chief Investigator for the VICTOR trial, said: “The announcement of these new trials is excellent news for people with blood cancer and I am delighted that as part of the TAP Network, the Clinical Research Facility and Haematology Clinical Research Group in Cardiff will be able to offer them to patients in Wales.

“This development sends a clear message that despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we remain committed to undertaking research activity to identify and assess promising new treatments.

"That remains incredibly important because access to pioneering treatments through clinical trials such as this can give hope to patients who in some cases may have otherwise exhausted all of the existing treatment options available to them.”

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board’s Research and Development department is funded by Welsh Government through Health and Care Research Wales, which works in partnership with the NHS, universities and stakeholders to fund, support and increase life changing research.