MoST-TAP trial a possible game-changer for rare cancer patients

Patients with uncommon and rare cancers may be able to join a new clinical trial at Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) that has received ethics approval to trial new drugs that reactivate the body’s anti-tumour immune response and kill cancer cells.

Two immunotherapy drugs will be offered to eligible patients with rare cancers in the multi-centre clinical trial lead by The George Institute in NSW, with FSH as one of the collaborators.

The clinical trial known as ‘MoST-TAP’ will provide patients with rare cancer access to new drugs that may improve their survival rates.

Dr Wei-Sen Lam, Head of Service, Medical Oncology FSH said he hopes these new drugs in the MoST-TAP trial will improve outcomes for cancer patients.

“We have seen similar drugs improve survival in many rare cancer patients and we hope to see patients with these cancers living longer with access to these drugs,” Dr Lam said.

Dr Lam is also the Medical Lead Teletrials at the WA Country Health Service, a program delivering clinical trials closer to home. He said the FSH Medical Oncology Clinical Trials Unit is collaborating with the WA Regional Clinical Trial Coordinating Centre to identify suitable oncology trials for delivery in WA regional health sites to extend trial access to country patients.

Enrolment is underway and recruitment should close mid-2026. For further details email Dr Wei-Sen Lam, Medical Oncology, Fiona Stanley Hospital and Esperance Hospital.

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