What is the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP)?

Background and study aim

The NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is looking to find people who may be able to take part in research trials for vaccines to treat cancer.

Vaccines are usually used to stop people from getting a disease, such as polio or measles. Researchers are now looking at using vaccines to stop cancer coming back after it has already been treated. Cancer vaccines stimulate the body’s immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells.

Cancer vaccines are being tested in research trials to understand how well they work. By supporting these trials, NHS England aims to speed up the development of vaccine treatments for cancer patients.

Who can participate?

The CVLP offers NHS cancer patients in England the opportunity to have their cancer DNA analysed for changes that could make them suitable for treatment with a cancer vaccine.

Patients need to be referred to the CVLP by their oncologist.

See which hospitals are currently involved in the CVLP.

Which research trials of cancer vaccines are supported by the CVLP?

The CVLP is currently supporting vaccine trials in colorectal cancer.

Find out more about the vaccine trials supported by CVLP.

What does the study involve?

Participants wishing to take part will be asked to sign a consent form allowing access to information about them and their cancer diagnosis. We will also need to access a sample of unused cancer tissue after all routine tests have been done and, in some cases, we will need to collect a blood sample. This will allow us to assess participants suitability for any research trials of cancer vaccines.

Suitable patients will then be referred to the nearest hospital that is running the research trials of a cancer vaccine. The research trials are likely to be at a different NHS hospital so participants will need to travel to these hospitals if they chose to take part.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?

Benefits include that participants may be able to take part in a research trial and receive cancer vaccine treatment before it is widely available. For participants who receive this treatment, it may reduce the chance of their cancer growing or coming back.

Participants will be helping medical research to assess the effectiveness of potential treatments. However, possible risks are that not everyone will be suitable to take part in a research trial of a cancer vaccine. The research may not benefit everyone that takes part as we are still finding out how effective the treatment might be.

The NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is funded and sponsored by NHS England. The study is coordinated by the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit. The study is also supported by NIHR.

If you would like to take part in the CVLP, we recommend you speak to your local hospital team to find out if you may be eligible for recruitment and whether the study is open near you.