Radiating Excellence: A Decade of Pioneering Radiotherapy Trials and Collaborative Leadership at Leeds Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit

Abstract

Recently, there has been considerable development in radiotherapy technologies and novel drug-radiotherapy combinations, with the potential to develop more effective and less toxic treatments for patients. There is a need to evaluate these approaches through clinical trials, and clinical trials units (CTUs) are ideally positioned to design and deliver these studies. Over the past 10 years, the Leeds Cancer Research UK CTU has developed a flagship portfolio of radiotherapy clinical trials, which encompass novel drug-radiotherapy combinations, radiotherapy technologies and optimising radiotherapy dose. Key to the success of the portfolio has been an emphasis on multidisciplinary collaborations, career development of future leaders in clinical trials, understanding the funding landscape, engagement with discovery and translational scientists, and keeping patients at the heart of our research. Moving forward, the priorities of the CTU are to build on this strong foundation with a pipeline of impactful and scientifically rich clinical trials, which will continue to shape the radiotherapy research landscape.

Keywords: Clinical trials; clinical trials unit; radiotherapy.