Research

Advancing thoracic cancer care through research, innovation and clinical trials.

The Institute supports research into thoracic cancer diagnosis and treatment, including participation in clinical trials, translational research linking pathology and treatment outcomes, and evaluation of imaging and surgical technique. Academic activity is closely tied to clinical practice, allowing research findings to inform care within the Institute.

Clinical Research & Trials

Leveraging advances in cancer biology to improve outcomes for patients diagnosed with Mesothelioma.

LUNAR-2: Pivotal, Randomized, Open-Label Study of Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields, 150 kHz) Concomitant with Pembrolizumab and Platinum-Based Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.
AndroMETa-Lung-536 M24-536: An Open-label Multi-Cohort Phase 1b/2 Study to Evaluate the Safety, Efficacy, and Optimal Dose of ABBV-400 in Combination with Budigalimab in Advanced or Metastatic Non-Squamous NSCLC with No Prior Treatment for Advanced Disease, and No Actionable Genomic Alterations.
REFINE-lung: A randomised open-label phase III trial of Reduced Frequency pembrolizumab immunotherapy for firstline treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) utilising a novel multi-arm frequency-response optimisation design.
PALOMA 2: Phase 2, Open-Label, Parallel Cohort Study of Subcutaneous Amivantamab in Multiple Regimens in Patients with Advanced or Metastatic Solid Tumors including EGFR-mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
INTerpath-009: A Phase 3 Randomized Double-blind Study of Adjuvant Pembrolizumab With or Without V940 in Participants With Resectable Stage II to IIIB (N2) NSCLC not Achieving pCR After Receiving Neoadjuvant Pembrolizumab With Platinum-based Doublet Chemotherapy.
KETO-Lung: Assessing the impact of the adoption of a continuous ketogenic diet therapy on the efficacy of combination chemo-immunotherapy using paclitaxel/carboplatin/pembrolizumab in advanced squamous cell cancer of the lung
CA2400029: A Randomized Phase 2/3 Study of BMS-986504 in Combination with Pembrolizumab and Chemotherapy Versus Placebo Plus Pembrolizumab and Chemotherapy in First-line Metastatic Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Participants with Homozygous MTAP Deletion.
CA2241093: A Phase 3, Randomized, Open-label Study of Nivolumab + Relatlimab Fixed-dose Combination with Chemotherapy Versus Pembrolizumab with Chemotherapy as First-line Treatment for Participants with Non-squamous (NSQ), Stage IV or Recurrent Non-small Cell Lung Cancer and with Tumor Cell PD-L1 Expression ≥ 1%.
KANDLELIT-007 MK1084-007: A Phase 3, Randomized, Open-label, Multicenter Clinical Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of MK-1084 in Combination With Subcutaneous Pembrolizumab and Berahyaluronidase alfa (MK-3475A) Versus MK-3475A in Combination With Pemetrexed/Platinum (Carboplatin or Cisplatin) Chemotherapy as First-line Treatment of Participants With KRAS G12C-Mutant, Advanced or Metastatic Nonsquamous NSCLC.
DAREON-Lung-1 1438-0012: A Phase III multi-center, open-label, randomized trial of intravenous obrixtamig in combination with atezolizumab, carboplatin, and etoposide vs atezolizumab, carboplatin, and etoposide as first line treatment in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.
ARTEMIA OSE2101C302: A randomized, open-label, phase 3 trial comparing the efficacy and safety of OSE2101 versus docetaxel in HLA-A2 positive patients with metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) with secondary resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

More information will be available soon.

DIAPHRAGM 2016 (University of Glasgow) – Diagnostic and Prognostic biomarkers in the Rational Assessment of Mesothelioma
BASIC 2017 (University of Oxford) – RCT on the use of a dedicated ballooned intercostal drain
FILMM 2020 (De Montfort University) – Facilitators and barriers to early diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma
MIST-3 2020 (University of Oxford)- Early Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) or Intrapleural Enzyme Therapy (IET) in Pleural Infection – a feasibility randomised trial
PROSPECT 2021 (University of Oxford)- Prospective data collection on clinical, radiological and patient reported outcomes after pleural intervention
TACTIC 2022 (University of Bristol)- RCT Thoracoscopic Talc Poudrage + Indwelling Pleural Catheters versus Thoracoscopic Talc Poudrage only in Malignant Pleural Effusion Trial
REDUCE-2 2022 (University of Bristol) – A Feasibility Study Evaluating the Efficacy of Indwelling Pleural Catheters Plus Sclerosant in Persistent Symptomatic Pleural Effusions Secondary to Heart Failure
RS Oncology 2022 MITOPE (University of Leicester HOPE unit)– A Translational Phase 1/2 Dose-Escalation and Expansion Study to Determine Safety, Tolerability, and Recommended Phase 2 Dose of Thiostrepton in Patients with Malignant Pleural Effusion due to Advanced/Metastatic Solid Tumors or Mesothelioma
PRINCE SSP 2022-2025 (University of Bristol)– Needle aspiration versus intercostal chest drain for secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (the PRINCE-SSP trial): a pragmatic, open-label, multi-centre, non3 inferiority, randomised controlled trial
PLUMB 2024-2025 (University of Oxford): Pneumothorax after Lung Biopsy: Understanding the Management Basis
PAC-MAN IPC 2025 (University of East Anglia)– Indwelling Pleural Catheters: Co-Developing an Intervention to Support Self-Management
MESO-ORIGINS 2023-2026 (University of Glasgow) – multi-centre observational study (running July 2022 – August 2026) aiming to understand how asbestos-associated inflammation progresses to Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM)
RASPER 2023-2026 (University of Oxford)– suction vs no suction in primary pneumothorax management
CONSEPT 2023-2026 (University of Bristol)– conservative management of primary pneumothorax
PRO-SEAL 2026 (University of Bristol)– Platform Randomised feasibility trial Of Suction, Endobronchial valves and Autologous blood patch on air-Leak:
INTERMITTENT 2026 (University of Bristol)– The INTERnational MultIcenTer STudy of PlEural INfecTion (INTERMITTENT): a point prevalence survey of the global aetiology, management and outcomes of pleural infection
MIST-4 2026 (University of Oxford)- a definitive randomised clinical effectiveness study comparing initial video assisted thoracic surgery and intrapleural enzyme therapy in adult patients with pleural infection.

Publications

The Institute’s clinical and academic teams contribute to research that advances understanding of thoracic cancer, its diagnosis, and treatment. Publications arising from this work will be shared here as the Institute’s research activity develops.

Academic Partnerships

The Institute works with academic and research partners to support collaboration, knowledge exchange, and research into thoracic cancer. These partnerships bring together clinical and academic expertise to support research that can contribute to improvements in diagnosis, treatment, and patient care.

Through collaboration across institutions and disciplines, the Institute supports a connected approach to research and the continued development of expertise in thoracic cancer.