Developed with Mr Chris McKinnon, Academic Clinical Lecturer in Neurosurgery, and in collaboration with the teams at the Surgical Interventions Trials Unit (SITU) and Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit (OCTRU), the new UK multi-centre randomised controlled trial (RCT) — named RECURRENT-GB — will explore whether surgery can improve quality of life for patients when glioblastoma (a type of brain cancer) comes back after treatment.
Glioblastoma is a terminal disease. On average, people diagnosed with it live for about 18 months. Treatment usually starts with surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible, followed by radiation and chemotherapy to slow its growth. However, the cancer almost always returns, and doctors aren't sure about the best way to treat it at that point. Specifically, it's unclear whether having another surgery alongside medication is more effective than medication alone.
Associate Professor Plaha, who is the Chief Investigator, said: 'Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive brain cancers, and when it returns, we face difficult decisions on how best to help patients. This trial will provide crucial evidence to determine whether repeat surgery can improve quality of life and outcomes for those battling this disease. We are hopeful that RECURRENT-GB will bring clarity to this question and ultimately guide future treatment strategies.'
RECURRENT-GB is scheduled to launch in early 2026 and will be coordinated by SITU. It will complement and build on insights gained from Oxford’s ongoing FUTURE-GB study — a £1.7 million NIHR EME funded trial running from 2020 to 2027 which is also lead by Associate Professor Plaha as Chief Investigator. The trial is investigating the most effective surgical techniques to achieve maximal tumour removal during the initial presentation of glioblastoma.
Read the story on the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences website.