LCTU - Liverpool Cancer Trials Unit

The Cancer Research UK Liverpool Cancer Trials Unit (LCTU) was first established in 1996 and was awarded a Cancer Research UK Core Programme Grant in August 2006 [director, Professor John P Neoptolemos].

Subsequently, the LCTU achieved a number of key objectives which included receiving full UKCRC registration in 2007 as part of the Clinical Trial Research Centre (CTRC) in Liverpool.  

The LCTU designs, conducts, leads and supports high quality early and late phase clinical trials, systematic reviews and other well designed studies to advance cancer research.

There are currently 21 Clinical Staff who are members of the LCTU Advisory Board, who are leads and members of 25 NCRI Clinical Studies Groups.  All LCTU co-ordinated studies are designed and conducted with the aim of improving patient care. The LCTU is now one of only eight Cancer Research UK CTUs. The number of LCTU research funded trials increased from 15 in 2008 to 70 in 2010 when it also had a grant income of £7.4m.

The LCTU is notable in leading research that led to major changes in the way pancreatic cancer is now treated. The CRUK/97/001 European Study Group For Pancreatic Cancer (ESPAC) -1 and ESPAC-3 trials established the role of adjuvant therapy in pancreatic cancer, favouring the use of adjuvant chemotherapy over chemoradiotherapy. These findings led to world-wide change in clinical practice, reflected in national and international guidelines on the management of pancreatic cancer. The CRUK/07/024 ESPAC-4 trial is set to determine how survival associated with adjuvant chemotherapy can be further improved through combination regimens.  It succeeds the ESPAC-3 (v2) trial which showed that there is no survival difference between giving 5FU/FA or gemcitabine, restricting the choice of which regimen only to patient specific toxicity profiles. The CRUK/01/008 GEMCAP trial demonstrated that the addition of Capecitabine extended survival period from 19 to 26 months.  Gemcitabine (GEM) plus Capecitabine (CAP) is now a standard therapy for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.  Updated meta-analysis demonstrated consistent superior overall survival for GEM + CAP across three independent randomised controlled trials. The CRUK/06/008 TeloVac phase III trial compares gemcitabine plus capecitabine alone and in combination with telomerase vaccine for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.   This trial is the largest of its kind in the world to exploring an anti-cancer vaccine.

More information can be found at the LCTU website.