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16 Aug 2024Robbie Lyle from Arsenal Fan TV walks to Premier League London rivals to help save men’s lives
AFTV host and football enthusiast Robbie Lyle, laced up his walking shoes for a cause that's close to his heart. From 13-15 August, Robbie walked to all of Arsenal's Premier League rival clubs in London, all in support of Prostate Cancer UK.
Immunotherapy has revolutionised the way we treat many cancers. It encourages the body's own defence mechanisms - the immune system - to target the cancer, either alone or in combination with other treatments.
However, prostate cancer is different. Unlike other cancers, it rarely responds to immunotherapy, leaving fewer treatment options for men with the disease.
That could soon change thanks to research we've funded at the University of Sheffield, which has shown that it's possible to deliver immunotherapy directly to prostate cancer cells using microscopic containers (nanoparticles).
The researchers found that the nanoparticle treatment could help men live longer, extending the amount of time it took before their prostate cancer became resistant to hormone therapy.
The study, published in the Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer, was funded as part of our Research Innovation Awards programme, which has seen £20m invested in exciting new research over the last 10 years.
I’m trying to use football to spread the word, to let people know about prostate cancer. I hope that this march does that
For thousands of men with prostate cancer, hormone therapy is a powerful, first-line treatment. However, for some men, their cancer can become resistant to it, enabling the disease to grow, spread and become harder to treat.
If immunotherapy could extend the effectiveness of hormone therapy, it could offer these men a longer, healthier life.
Looking at tumour samples from both mice and men, the Sheffield team studied how immune cells inside prostate tumours behave during hormone therapy, using a technique that attaches fluorescent markers to cells so they can be seen under a microscope.
They found that a type of white blood cell, called a macrophage, collects in large numbers around tumour blood vessels during the treatment – making them well-placed targets for immunotherapy.
The researchers then developed nanoparticles that could deliver a drug to these immune cells specifically. These nanoparticles act a bit like targeted missiles – microscopic spheres with a detector on the outside that looks for macrophages, and a space inside to fit the immunotherapy drug, keeping it locked away until it reaches the right location.
The drug itself makes the macrophages produce a signal that encourages other immune cells, called T cells, to kill the nearby cancer cells.
When the treatment was combined with hormone therapy, the tumours took longer to become resistant.
The team now hopes to take the treatment from the lab into clinical trials, to see whether it helps extend the lives of men receiving hormone therapy. Since the same immune cells were found to surround blood vessels in both mice and men, the team believes the treatment has a good chance of helping men with prostate cancer.
1 in 8 men and 1 in 4 black men get prostate cancer. We need to raise awareness and to raise money to stop men from dying. We need to let men know about their risk so that they can get checked so they can prevent it
Walking for football fans across the UK
Professor Claire Lewis, from the University of Sheffield’s School of Medicine and Population Health, led the study. She said: “The onset of resistance to hormone therapy is a major clinical problem when it comes to treating men with prostate cancer as their tumours then start to regrow and spread. Once this happens, their disease is difficult to treat.
“Until now, immunotherapies for prostate cancer have been disappointing, with few men responding well to treatment. Carefully analysing the response of immune cells in prostate tumours to hormone treatment helped us to develop a way to stimulate them to fight the cancer - and prevent resistance to hormone therapy.
“We’re excited to have developed this new form of immunotherapy and that it impacts so positively on the response of prostate tumours to hormone treatment. We are now working with our clinical colleagues to explore ways to take this forward into clinical trials as soon as possible.”
Dr Hayley Luxton, our Senior Research Impact & Intelligence Manager, said: “Immunotherapy has completely changed the way other cancers are treated, but we haven’t yet seen anything even close to that success for men with prostate cancer.
“We’re thrilled to have funded this research which shows a new form of immunotherapy could give men much more time before their cancer becomes resistant to hormone therapy. It will be really exciting to see how it performs in future clinical trials, and we hope it will play a pivotal role in finally unlocking the potential of immunotherapy for men with prostate cancer.”
Saving men’s lives by raising funds through football
Our Research Innovation Awards fund cutting-edge research to revolutionise diagnosis and treatment for men with prostate cancer.
To ensure that our researchers can explore each promising discovery, giving men the best chance of getting access to new tests and treatments, it’s vital to keep up the momentum.
Please, donate today to help fund more innovative research like this.
I feel that it’s our time this year and we’ll win the league
To really emphasise to his fans how important and vital it is to raise awareness of prostate cancer, he has offered the chance to watch an Arsenal game with him at the Emirate stadium to whoever donates the most to his fundraiser! Who could pass that up, with an incredible opportunity like that!
As Robbie was getting closer to the Emirate stadium, he felt great about what he achieved! While his legs may have been hurting him, he reflected on the fantastic journey he had along the way and the reason he did it:
Meeting people along the way that had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and hearing their stories really emphases how important it is to catch prostate cancer early. I really want to support this work because this disease affects so many men
Don Robbie’s football march is part of Prostate Cancer UK’s ongoing efforts to unite the football community so that less men get an advanced prostate cancer diagnosis. His journey coincides with the launch of Prostate United, where fans are encouraged to run, cycle, or walk every day in October, representing their clubs and saving lives.
Represent your club like Robbie and help save men’s lives.
