Patient organization collaborates with researchers to improve brain cancer therapy (19.11.2018)
The research laboratory for brain cancer immunology and therapy at the Department of Biomedicine has received the secretary general of the Brain-Tumour Society Rolf Ledal to discuss current and future research projects.
By: Martha Enger, PhD; Dr Philos
Published: (Updated: )
In connection with the start of the clinical trial "BORTEM-17", The Brain Tumor Immunology & Therapy Group at the Department of Biomedicine hosted the secretary general for the patient organization The Brain Tumor Society, Rolf Ledal. The purpose was to discuss current and future cooperation, which aims to establish closer ties with the user organization. He also visited the Department of Oncology at Haukeland University Hospital to meet the participating doctors.
During his visit, Ledal showed enthusiasm regarding the start of patient recruitment, the importance of the study in general for the patient group and the cooperation that is now ongoing with the user organization. He also stressed the high need for more research towards life-prolonging treatment for brain tumor patients.
Ledal challenged the researchers to design their research around the patients. Otherwise they would risk that research would not be relevant to them. Nothing is more relevant to medical research than the real life experience, of what it is like to be a person with an incurable disease, how they live and what is important for their quality of life.
Research without public involvement is research less worth doing. In addition, more clinical studies are needed as they will be able to improve the country's healthcare, due to increased staff training and exposure of new treatments and new analytical techniques. The parties also discussed future cooperation.