Thousands of NHS patients will be given access to groundbreaking cancer vaccines, health leaders have said, as a 55-year-old man became the first in England to receive the treatment for bowel cancer in a “landmark moment”. Thirty hospitals have so far signed up to NHS England’s Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, which is working to fast-track patients to receive the vaccines at the earliest opportunity across a number of different trials. Dozens of people have already enrolled in the trials, with the majority expected to take part from 2026 onwards – and thousands more are set to be recruited in the next year, NHS England said.
Father-of-four and higher education lecturer Elliot Pfebve has now become the first patient to receive the vaccine for bowel cancer, after being diagnosed with the disease following a routine health check with his GP. After having a 30cm tumour removed from his large intestine, he was referred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham for chemotherapy and to take part in the clinical trial. It is hoped that by targeting cancer cells remaining after his surgery, the vaccine could help to stop the disease from returning.
Professor Peter Johnson, national clinical director for cancer at the NHS, said: “We know that even after a successful operation, cancers can sometimes return because a few cancer cells are left in the body, but using a vaccine to target those remaining cells may be a way to stop this happening.” Mr Pfebve said: “Through the poten.
