Weston Park Cancer Charity contributes to groundbreaking Sheffield research into advanced bladder cancer

Patients with advanced bladder cancer can now have their chemotherapy halved – thanks to groundbreaking research involving Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Sheffield.

In the DISCUS trial, led by Queen Mary University of London, patients were randomised into two groups: receiving either six cycles of chemotherapy or three cycles followed by the immunotherapy drug avelumab.

Researchers found that patients in the three-cycle group were less likely to experience severe side effects and had the same average survival rate as patients in the six-cycle group.

Weston Park Cancer Charity contributed to the trial by funding vital research nurses, who onboarded patients and supported them throughout the research process.

Excitingly, the study has led to a change in NHS guidelines and will improve the quality of life for advanced bladder cancer patients on a national scale.

We spoke to Professor Syed A Hussain, Professor of Medical Oncology and Honorary Consultant; University of Sheffield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, about his role as Second Author of the research, the importance of charity funding, and the future of cancer care.

Why is this change to the NHS treatment guidelines so significant and how will it impact patients in Sheffield and beyond?

Prior to this research, the standard of care for bladder cancer patients was to have four to six cycles of chemotherapy. But these patients often experienced toxicity and severe side effects, with a subset of patients having to stop after three cycles. Now we know that patients can have three cycles and then start taking the immunotherapy drug avelumab.

We presented our findings at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress in October 2025 and NHS guidance was changed just a few months later. It’s one of the fastest policy changes we’ve seen, and it’s already making an impact nationally – and even globally.

Why is it so important that we conduct research into quality of life?

Previously, the average survival time for metastatic bladder cancer patients was 12 months. Now, we’re seeing a higher proportion of patients live for three years, four years, even five. As our patients live longer, it’s so important that we look at the quality of their lives and survival.

A crucial part of that is identifying and learning how to manage the toxicities of these new emerging therapies which, while advancing care, can impact on quality of life. That’s why the DISCUS trial is so significant: it’s one of the first studies to look at quality of life as a primary endpoint.

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals was the top recruiter for this trial. How does that feel?

To be the top recruiter in a big global study like this is quite a phenomenal thing, because it’s down to our team and our incredible patients and their families.

We’re lucky to have a wonderful research nursing team and the Cancer Clinical Trials Centre (CCTC) – both of which are supported by Weston Park Cancer Charity. We’re extremely grateful because our nurses play a huge role in recruiting patients onto research trials, supporting them through treatment, and collecting data.

What impact do clinical trials make on the patients that participate in them?

Clinical trials help to push treatment forward, improve outcomes for patients and bring excellence to Weston Park Cancer Centre. We have groundbreaking treatments come through to the centre because of the trials we’re conducting. The more research we carry out, the better our understanding of these cutting-edge drugs and treatments.

My patients often tell me they want to take part in research to give something back to others and to the NHS. They say things like: ‘If it doesn’t help me, it may help someone like me.’ It’s very humbling, and I’m so thankful to the patients and families who take part in research while going through incredibly difficult circumstances.

What does it mean to you personally knowing that your research will improve quality of life for patients for years to come?

The DISCUS trial was a real team effort, delivered by an amazing network of investigators nationally and globally; it’s very satisfying to know our research has changed the standard of care and is improving the quality of life for patients.

This is one of several international trials that I’ve been part of and I’m very proud of the way the global Genitourinary (GU) oncology community works together. Through collaboration we’ve been able to bring several new drugs into the standard of care. The successes we’ve made are thanks to colleagues at the CCTC, the University of Sheffield, and all around the world.

What would you say to the Weston Park Cancer Charity supporters who help to fund research?

I would like to tell the charity’s supporters that we are winning. We are winning against cancer because we understand it so much better now. We’re discovering new drugs like immune checkpoint inhibitors and conjugate antibodies, and they’re transforming outcomes.

Weston Park Cancer Charity and its supporters make such a difference to our patients. The DISCUS trial is a great example, as the charity provides funding for our fantastic research nurses.

The charity also supports patients across the region who want to take part in research through their free transport service. By removing barriers, the service helps to challenge health disparities and make research more inclusive.

Research brings excellence, and I want Weston Park Cancer Charity’s supporters to know that they are part of our successes. Their donations make a big impact on cancer research, and everything we’ve achieved – we’ve achieved together.

Looking to the future, which areas of bladder cancer research are you most excited about?

We’ve made huge strides in advanced bladder cancer: over the past five years the average survival rate of 12 to 15 months has doubled to 30 months. That change has occurred largely because of clinical trials and the organisations that support them.

In the years to come, treatment plans are set to become more personalised which is very exciting; this will increase the cure rate and help more patients to live longer with their cancer.

We’re delighted to announce we’ll be awarding a further £300,114 to the Cancer Clinical Trials Centre, which will help to support its life-saving work for another year.

You can contribute to the future of cancer research, by making a donation today.