NHS patients with form of cancer to be fast-tracked into vaccine trials

The government has provided an update on NHS waiting lists and which patients will be prioritised. This follows a decrease in the waiting list for the "sixth month in a row" in February, as reported by NHS England data on April 10.

As part of Labour's Plan for Change, ambitious milestones have been set to be achieved over the next five years. According to the party's website, Labour aims to eliminate "hospital backlogs by meeting the NHS standard of 92% of patients waiting fewer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment."

The Prime Minister, Sir , shared an update on X (formerly known as ), stating: "Patients with advanced skin cancer will be fast-tracked into trials of a new cancer vaccine.

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"As part of our Plan for Change, we'll use the latest available to give patients access to new – potentially lifesaving – treatments with the NHS."

The patients who are fast-tracked will participate in trials of a new vaccine, known as iSCIB1+ (ImmunoBody). The jab works by enhancing the immune system's response, reports .

It also aids in identifying cancer cells and improves the response to immunotherapy treatment. iSCIB1+ is administered to patients for up to two years.

The trial is part of NHS England's Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP), which aims to improve access and assist studies in developing vaccinations. The groundbreaking Clinical Vaccine Programme (CVLP) is already providing many patients with personalised vaccines to combat bowel cancer, and it's set to massively expand.

The programme is to offer up to 10,000 patients in England the benefit of tailormade cancer treatments by 2030. By speeding up enrolment into clinical trials and bringing more NHS on board, the time it takes to get results should drop.

Currently under trial, a needle-free version of the vaccine is being delivered directly into either the skin or muscle. The NHS has teamed up with Scancell, a British life sciences firm, to make these vaccines more accessible—with the first group of patients expected to start their new treatment as early as next month.

NHS national cancer director Professor Peter Johnson said: "Skin cancer can have a devastating impact and we know that cancer vaccines have the potential to revolutionise cancer care for patients in this country and across the – and to save more lives.

"It's incredibly exciting that the NHS is expanding its world-leading programme so more patients with different types of cancer could benefit from the development of new vaccines that could stop their cancer coming back."

Dr Nermeen Varawalla, chief medical officer at Scancell, added: "Cancer vaccines have the potential to transform immunotherapy, redefine treatment options and ultimately save lives.

"Recent clinical data has demonstrated that our potent, tumour-targeted 'off-the-shelf' cancer vaccine delivers strong efficacy, with the potential for meaningful long-term survival benefits in patients with advanced metastatic melanoma.

"Our partnership with the CVLP will give patients expedited access to this landmark study and is an important step in accelerating the clinical development of this important new treatment."