TIGER TRIAL REACHES MAJOR MILESTONE

Movember-funded scientists have come a step closer to understanding the best way to treat men with aggressive testicular cancer.

Last week, lead investigators announced that the TIGER trial - a major international collaboration between research teams in the US, Europe and Australia - has reached the halfway point in recruitment.

Paul Villanti, Movember’s executive director of programs, says: “It’s a terrific effort to reach this milestone. This brings us a step closer to answering a key question in the treatment of this disease. Congratulations to all the teams involved.”

Researchers are looking at whether there is a difference in survival rates between patients receiving conventional dose chemotherapy compared with high-dose chemotherapy with stem-cell treatment in men who have been treated for testicular cancer with chemotherapy, but in whom the cancer has come back.  

The trial is aiming to recruit 420 men and teenage boys from around the world to participate in the study.

Under this trial, patients are randomised to one of two treatment groups. One group receives conventional chemotherapy.

The second group are given high-dose chemotherapy with a stem cell treatment. Patients will then be followed up for several years to compare the impact of these treatments on overall survival.

Funding has been provided by the National Cancer Institute in the US and Canada, as well as research bodies in France, UK and Italy. The North American co-ordinating group for this study is the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology.

Movember’s role has been to provide funding to the sponsors of the study in Europe (a group called EORTC) and Australia (a group called ANZUP).

Without the support of the Movember community to allow European and Australian hospitals to recruit patients, this trial would never have been launched in these countries.

Paul Villanti says: “Our unique global position and fundraising efforts are perfectly placed to help these men by connecting researchers across the globe to work together to better understand the underlying biology and optimal treatments for this relatively poorly understood disease.”