A NEW treatment to tackle cancer will be tested on patients in Oxford for the first time in the UK.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust will take part in a global clinical trial, which will investigate the use of radioactive glass microspheres to tackle bowel cancer.

Medics at the Churchill Hospital will use the microspheres, which are between 20 and 30 micrometres in diameter, on patients with cancer which has spread to the liver and become resistant to chemotherapy.

At least 20 people will take part in the first trial later this month but medics are lookingon the search for more volunteers.

Honorary consultant in clinical oncology at the trust professor Ricky Sharma said: “We are delighted that patients in Oxford will have the chance to participate in this clinical trial.

“It offers a new radiotherapy treatment option to patients with colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver when chemotherapy has not worked. In Oxford, we have considerable experience of this new, minimally invasive approach to treating cancer.”

“We are very excited to be the first centre in the UK to offer this clinical trial to patients who meet the eligibility criteria.”

During the trial, a thin tube called a catheter will be inserted into a patient’s groin, which will enable the microspheres to be placed in a tumourthe small blood vessels of a tumour.

The microspheres are then able to destroy the tumour cells and deliver radiotherapy for weeks after the treatment.

For more information, contact Professor Ricky Sharma on 01865 235209.