New ground-breaking brain cancer clinical trials designed to improve survival and quality of life will be available in Yorkshire for people with glioblastoma, the most common type of brain cancer thanks to an innovative programme which will be co-led by Mr Ola Rominiyi, Neurological Resident at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research, EPIC-GB, a £6.9 million programme of clinical trials led by experts at the University of Sheffield and the University of Glasgow, aim to transform how cancer drug treatments are tested for people with recurrent glioblastoma, so they can access new and potentially life-extending treatment options.
Glioblastoma is the most common and fastest-growing type of brain cancer. Most people diagnosed with the disease will see recurrence within the first year, meaning the cancer has returned after earlier treatment. Each year in Yorkshire, around 247 people are diagnosed with glioblastoma and sadly, around 181 people die.
Unfortunately, many cancer drugs are ineffective in treating people with glioblastoma because they are unable to reach the tumour due to a protective layer around the brain called the blood-brain barrier. This challenge has played a key role in the lack of significant breakthroughs for treating glioblastoma since 2007.
How the new trials will work
Clinical trials involving people with glioblastoma are urgently needed to find out if different cancer drugs are likely to get into the brain and work.
The EPIC-GB trials would enable people to start trial treatments before surgery. Tumour tissue removed during the operation can then be studied, creating a valuable 'window of opportunity' to quickly understand which drugs reach the tumour and are likely to be effective.
By identifying promising treatments as early as possible, people with recurrent glioblastoma can continue those treatments, or stop them early if they don't get into the brain. This helps the person avoid unnecessary side effects and move to alternative and potentially more effective options more quickly.
Delivered through dedicated Centres of Excellence for brain cancer, the new trials, pioneered in Yorkshire, will be offered to people living with recurrent glioblastoma in Sheffield, Leeds and Hull, as well as Edinburgh, Manchester and Nottingham. These centres will bring together the NHS, researchers, pharmaceutical companies and people affected by cancer, enabling people to access new treatments closer to home that could give them more time with loved ones.
People affected by cancer play a vital role in shaping how EPIC-GB will be designed and delivered across Yorkshire and beyond. By sharing their perspectives from living with glioblastoma themselves, or supporting a loved one, their voices are helping to ensure the needs and experiences of those affected by brain cancer are at the heart of decision-making throughout the trial.
Life-giving brain cancer clinical trials
Emma Ward, who was diagnosed with a fast-growing tumour in 2025, said the trials would "bring hope right here to our region", where survival rates are lower than the national average.
The 47-year-old said: "Too many people lose their lives because there are so few options for treating brain cancers. It feels as though brain cancers have been placed in the 'too hard' box, so investment in research is held back out of fear nothing will work."
She added: "When the time comes, I don't want my daughters and husband to think of me in hospital or going through treatment. I want them to remember the trips we took, dancing in the kitchen, the laughter and all those happy times we shared as a family. Only through more research can we give families more of those memories."
Mr Ola Rominiyi, Clinical Lecturer in Neurosurgery at the University of Sheffield and Neurosurgical Resident at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "Despite our best efforts, current treatments for fast-growing brain cancers are not good enough to resist the aggressive nature of the disease and they remain challenging to treat. People in Yorkshire have also historically faced fewer opportunities to take part in research for glioblastoma. Boldy supported by Yorkshire Cancer Research, we're optimistic this new study is a vital step forward, ensuring more people can access promising new treatments and giving hope where options have too often been limited."
Survival rates for people diagnosed with glioblastoma in Yorkshire are often lower than the national average. Many people diagnosed with glioblastoma in Yorkshire also have fewer opportunities to take part in clinical trials compared to other regions in the UK. There are many reasons for this, including Yorkshire's large and diverse geography, and higher levels of deprivation in some areas, meaning not everyone is able to take part in innovative research.
EPIC-GB will help tackle these regional inequalities by improving access to clinical trials and focusing on communities in Yorkshire that are historically under-represented in cancer research, including Black and South Asian communities and those experiencing high levels of deprivation.
EPIC-GB will also involve researchers from other UK centres including Glasgow and the Institute of Cancer Research Clinical Trials and Statistics Unit in London, helping to strengthen national progress in brain cancer treatment and ensure progress starting in Yorkshire can benefit people with brain cancer across the UK.
Christina Yap, Professor of Clinical Trials Biostatistics at The Institute of Cancer Research and EPIC-GB Trial Methodology Lead, said: "EPIC-GB introduces a next-generation approach to carrying out early-stage research into glioblastoma. Its flexible design allows researchers to learn quickly whether a new therapy can reach the brain and shows real promise for helping people live longer. By building in regular checkpoints along the way, researchers can move promising treatments forward faster - and stop pursuing those that aren't working - so time and resources go where they can make the biggest difference."
Dr Helen Bulbeck, Patient Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) co-lead for EPIC-GB, has worked closely with the research team to ensure the views and priorities of people with glioblastoma guide key decisions on the research from the outset.
Dr Helen Bulbeck, Director of Services & Policy at brainstrust and PPIE co-lead for EPIC-GB said: "People affected by brain tumours have too often seen research progress without their voice being properly heard. EPIC-GB is different. PPIE hasn't been added on at the end - it has been built into the trial from day one. As co-lead, I've seen how this approach is influencing how the study is designed, who it aims to reach and what outcomes really matter to people with glioblastoma. This is how partnership in research should work, and I hope EPIC-GB sets a benchmark for future trials."
