Yorkshire genetic screening trial selected for NHS initiative

The NHS will help find thousands of volunteers to take part in a groundbreaking genetic screening clinical trial funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research.

The charity’s £3.8m PROTECT-C trial, led by Professor Ranjit Manchanda at Queen Mary University of London, will investigate the concept of offering women tests to find out if they are at high risk of developing cancer. 

The trial has now been selected as one of just three new cancer projects supported by the NHS DigiTrials initiative, which aims to sign up tens of thousands of volunteers over the next 12 months to help improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients.

The NHS DigiTrials recruitment service, which is managed by NHS England, identifies NHS patients who might be suitable for a certain trial and contacts them to see if they would like to take part.

Professor Manchanda said: “We are thrilled to be working with NHS DigiTrials to support invitations and recruitment for the PROTECT-C study."

Women who take part in the PROTECT-C trial will be offered tests to find out if they carry inherited genetic changes or faults that are passed down in families and can increase the risk of breast, ovarian, bowel or womb cancer.

One in every 20 cancers in women are caused by genetic defects. In Yorkshire, more than 7,400 breast, bowel, womb and ovarian cancers are diagnosed each year, and up to 790 of these are related to genetic faults.

Several genetic mutations can increase the risk of cancer and PROTECT-C will test for some of those related to the most common cancers in women that are known to be hereditary. It is estimated that 19,000 women in Yorkshire have these genetic faults, however, 97% of these women remain unidentified – meaning nearly 18,500 do not know they are at increased risk of developing cancer.

The PROTECT-C trial will involve 5,000 people from Yorkshire and across the UK, including women, trans men and non-binary people with female reproductive organs.

Those identified as being at increased risk of breast, ovarian, bowel and womb cancer will have the option through the NHS to have regular screening so that if they develop cancer, they are diagnosed at the earliest possible stage when the cancer is usually easier to treat. They will also have the opportunity to access preventative medicine or surgery to prevent cancers developing.

The study will evaluate the impact of testing on psychological health, wellbeing, lifestyle, and participation in screening and preventive strategies, as well as exploring how testing can be introduced for everyone through the NHS.

PROTECT-C has the potential to have a direct and positive impact upon the Government’s stated intention for reform of the NHS towards a health service “fit for the future”, including a shift from away from late diagnosis, from sickness to prevention.