Professor Andrew Pettitt

Andrew Pettitt

Department of Haematology, School of Cancer Studies
University of Liverpool
Liverpool

Improving treatment for lymphoma

Professor Andrew Pettitt is a leading expert on leukaemia and lymphoma at the University of Liverpool. He is researching ways to improve treatments for these diseases, and is part of the Liverpool Cancer Research UK Centre.

Professor Pettitt is running a clinical trial called PACIFICO, aiming to find the best way to treat older people with follicular lymphoma, the most common type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The trial is comparing two different combinations of drugs in patients who are 60 or older. 

The researchers are investigating which combination is the most effective at treating cancer with the fewest side effects. They are also looking at how the two treatments affect patients’ quality of life, and the cost-effectiveness of the different drug combinations. You can read more about PACIFICO on CancerHelp UK.

New tests and tailored treatments

To develop new tests for use during cancer treatment, researchers rely on blood and tissue samples from patients who take part in clinical trials. Professor Pettitt has set up a collection of samples from national clinical trials testing treatments for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).

He is using this resource to find new ways of predicting which people with CLL are likely to benefit from specific treatments, and which are more susceptible to certain side effects. 

Professor Pettitt's work will help people with leukaemia and lymphoma by paving the way for more tailored treatments for these diseases. This more personalised approach should save lives and help to reduce side effects in the future.

Professor Pettitt is also the chairman of the UK CLL forum – an organisation made up of doctors, scientists, patients and representatives from the pharmaceutical industry who are aiming to improve treatment for CLL. 

icon-a-z-20x20

Visit our A-Z topic pages

 

If you want to help support more research like this, please visit our Donate Now page.