
Around 1 in 5 people diagnosed with cancer in the UK take part in a clinical trial.
Please note - this trial is no longer recruiting patients. We hope to add results when they are available.
This study is comparing an iron injection called Monofer with the usual treatment for a low level of red blood cells (anaemia). It is for people who are starting chemotherapy to control symptoms of food pipe cancer or stomach cancer.
If you have a low number of red blood cells, doctors say that you have anaemia. The red blood cells carry oxygen around the body. Because of low oxygen levels, anaemia may cause shortness of breath, chest pain and feeling tired.
There are many types of anaemia, but it is common in people with cancer, especially if you are having chemotherapy. The treatment you have depends on your type of anaemia. If you have anaemia at the same time as chemotherapy your doctor will give you extra iron to treat it. This could be a tablet, injection into a vein or having blood through a drip into a vein (a blood transfusion).
Iron injections are quite a new treatment, but doctors think they may work very well to treat anaemia. So, in this study they want to see how well an iron injection called Monofer works, to treat anaemia in people starting chemotherapy for stomach or food pipe cancer. If it does work well, fewer people may need a blood transfusion during chemotherapy. And, people should have a better because they have fewer symptoms of anaemia.
The aim of this study is to see how well Monofer works to treat anaemia in people starting chemotherapy for cancer of the stomach or food pipe.
You may be able to enter this study if you
You cannot enter this study if
This is a pilot study. If results are promising, it may lead to a larger trial. This pilot study will recruit 40 people into one of 2 groups. It is randomised. Everyone taking part will be put into one of 2 groups by a computer. Neither you nor your doctor will be able to decide which group you are in.
If you are in group 1, you will have one of the usual treatments for low red blood cells before you start chemotherapy.
If you are in group 2, you will have one dose of Monofer before you start chemotherapy. You have Monofer as an injection into a vein.
The study team will ask you to fill out a questionnaire at the start of the study and on the first day of your first 3 cycles of chemotherapy. The questionnaire will ask about side effects and how you’ve been feeling. This is called a quality of life study.
With your permission, the team will also collect information about you from your medical records. They will treat all the information they collect anonymously, so no one will be able to link it to you.
If you are in group 2, you need to make an extra visit to hospital to have your Monofer injection. The team will offer you £20 expenses as you will need to travel to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.
Side effects of Monofer include
A small number of people may have an allergic reaction to iron injections. Severe reactions are very rare. If you feel unwell after your study treatment, let your study doctors know.
Some people may have a reaction where they had the injection. This is nothing to worry about and should settle down shortly after you have the injection.
In some people, iron treatments may not help treat their anaemia. If this happens, you may need to try another treatment.
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Mr Austin Acheson
NIHR Clinical Research Network: Cancer
Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust
Pharmacosmos
If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses
Freephone 0808 800 4040
Around 1 in 5 people diagnosed with cancer in the UK take part in a clinical trial.