Cancer clinical trials

The Cancer Clinical Trials Unit (CCTU) in the Cancer Centre in University Hospital Limerick (UHL) coordinates a wide range of clinical trials in the cancer setting. The CCTU was established in 2001.

UHL is a designated Cancer Centre of Excellence. The CCTU facilitates all cancer clinical trials for the Mid West region.

The CCTU is involved in Medical Oncology studies for patients with Breast, Lung, Genitourinary, Gastrointestinal and Gynaecological cancers, Haematology Clinical Studies for patients with multiple myeloma, lymphomas and some leukaemia and Academic Studies.

The Cancer Clinical Trials Unit has recruited 64 studies since 2018 and enrolled 1195 patients.

Clinical trials

A clinical trial is a research study designed to test new treatments or a new way of using known treatments. The goal is to find more effective and better ways to treat or prevent cancer. A clinical trial is also known as a clinical study, research study, or medical research.

Clinical Trials may be done to test one of the following:

New treatments
New ways of using treatments already available
New combinations of existing drugs
New ways of diagnosing or preventing cancer
The psychological effects of the treatment
The impact of treatments on Quality of Life (QoL)

Our team

The activity of our CCTU depends on a multidisciplinary team both within the centre and within our hospital community. The CCTU is led by Prof Ruth Clifford, Consultant Haematologist and Director of CCTU and Co-director, Dr Niamh Peters, Consultant Medical Oncologist.

Our experienced CCTU team consists of the following:

1 Clinical Operations Manager
1 Clinical Nurse Manager (CNM3)
4 Clinical Nurse Managers (CNM2)
1 Clinical Trials Pharmacist
1 Finance & Administration Manager
2 Data Managers
1 Administration staff
10 Consultant Principal Investigators

The Clinical Trials process

During your visit to Cancer Services at UHL, your consultant may discuss a clinical trial with you.

The research nurse (CNM2) will further explain the details of the procedures involved in participation in the clinical trial.

This will include:

what the trial is about
what treatment or procedures are involved
how you will be treated
side effects of treatment
what you will have to do to participate in the study

The standard treatment available will also be discussed.

You will receive written information about the clinical trial to take home with you. You can discuss your options with your family or friends.

You can contact the research nurse (CNM2) with more questions during your decision making process.

If you decide to take part in a clinical trial, you have to be fully satisfied with all the information shared with you about all the procedures involved in the clinical trial.

Contact us

For more information on our open clinical trials, please contact our Clinical Trials Unit.

Email - LCCTU@hse.ie
Phone: 061485159

For more information on clinical trials in Ireland see:

Current recruiting clinical trials

Breast

Trial Name: SHAMROCK

Trial No: 2022-002485-32

Patient Profile: Patients with HER2 positive breast Cancer

Purpose: Single arm, phase II trial of neoadjuvant Trastuzumab Deruxecan (T-DXd) with response directed definitive therapy in early stage HER2 positive breast cancer; a cytoxic chemotherapy sparing approach to curative intent treatment.

Principal Investigator (PI): Dr Greg Korpanty

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Trial Name: ASCENT-05

Trial No: 2024-512279-10

Patient Profile: Patients with triple-negative breast cancer

Purpose: A randomised, open label, phase III study of adjuvant Sacituzumab Govitecan and Pembrolizomab versus treatment of physicians choice in patients with triple negative breast cancer who have residual invasive disease after surgery and neoadjuvant therapy

PI: Dr Greg Korpanty

Lymphoma and blood cancers

Trial Name: MajesTEC-4

Trial No: 2021-002531-27

Patient Profile: Patients with multiple myeloma

Purpose: A phase III of Teclistamab in combination with Lenalidomide and Teclistamab alone versus Lenalidomide alone in newly diagnosed MM as maintenance following autologous stem cell transplant.

PI: Professor Ruth Clifford

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Trial Name: MK1026-003

Trial No: 2020-002324-36

Patient Profile: Participants with CLL, Richet’s transformation, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinaemia

Purpose: A phase II study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ML1026-003 in participants with haematologic malignancies

PI: Professor Ruth Clifford

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Trial Name: ANT 007

Trial No: 2021-003026-14

Patient Profile: Patients with cancer associated VTE (ASTER)

Purpose: A multicentre, randomized, open-label, blinded endpoint evaluation, phase 3 study comparing the effect of abelacimab relative to apixaban on venous thromboembolism (VTE) recurrence and bleeding in patients with cancer associated VTE (ASTER)

PI: Dr Cian McEllistrim

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Trial name: BCBI (Blood Cancer Biobank Ireland) sample collection

Trial number: n/a

Patient profile: Suspected or newly diagnosed or relapsed but not on treating patients with CLL, AML or Multiple Myeloma.

Purpose: Collection of bone marrow or peripheral blood samples to be stored in a biobank for use in current or future research.

PI: Professor Ruth Clifford

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Trial name: The Impact of Genetic Expression Profile on Depth of Response and Survival in Myeloma (MRD Study)

Trial number: n/a

Patient profile: Patients who have been diagnosed with multiple myeloma and are potentially eligible for autologous stem cell transplant.

Purpose: Prospective, non-interventional, observational study to evaluate the combined assessment of gene expression profiling and MRD analysis to determine impact of genetic risk on achievement of MRD negativity and PFS in newly diagnosed transplant eligible patientswith Multiple Myeloma receiving standard of care regimens

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Academic Studies

Trial Name: HH Blood

Study Purpose: Blood donations of patients with hereditary haemochromatosis as a source of healthy blood cell controls