Lung cancer patients helping with COVID-19 DIScOVERy | Latest news

“It will be incredibly valuable to be able to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including aspects such as lockdown and the effects of shielding on this vulnerable group of patients,” said Sarah Schofield, Research Nurse based at Hayward House at Nottingham City Hospital (pictured), one of a three-strong team of palliative care research specialists who are running the study at NUH.

“It’s very important that we find out about interventions that have been put in place to support these people as we may need to change the way we provide support.”

So far, five patients with terminal lung cancers who are being treated at NUH have agreed to be part of the study. Participation in this research involves completing a detailed set of questions on how COVID-19 has affected patients’ physical, psychological and social well-being.

DIScOVER (comparing Disabilities In activities of daily living Over time among adults with advanced Respiratory disease during the COVID-19 pandemic) was first launched in March 2020, before the pandemic. It looks at how severe respiratory conditions affect a patient’s daily life, for instance the impact on activities such as being able to wash and dress.

The study was paused when the Coronavirus pandemic hit its height in the spring. It then resumed in July, with an amendment that allowed the patient questionnaire to be completed remotely, and the COVID-19 element was also added.

NUH is concentrating on the impact of COVID-19 on patients with advanced lung cancer, whereas other sites taking part in the study are asking participants who are living with severe respiratory diseases such as COPD and interstitial lung disease (such as pulmonary fibrosis) to take part.

Patients – who do no need to have had COVID-19 - can complete the questionnaire over the phone or by email. They are subsequently sent the survey every month for a period of six months to update the study. 

Questions include those on symptoms and quality of life, which healthcare services they have accessed and whether COVID-19 has had a psychological impact on them.

DIScOVER is another COVID-19 study being hosted by the Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care based at Kings College London, with which Hayward House has established close research links. The Institute is regarded as a leading national centre of expertise on palliative care, which often informs national policy decision-making in this area of treatment.

Dr Andrew Wilcock, Reader in palliative medicine and medical oncology at the University of Nottingham is the principal investigator for NUH and the study is being led nationally by specialist palliative care physiotherapist Lucy Fettes, at the Cicely Saunders Institute. The NUH research team also includes Research Nurse Cathann Manderson, who is based at Hayward House.

Meanwhile, the team has made strong progress with its contribution to the CovPall study. Initially, recruitment expectations for NUH were for 20 patients in total. But, as of  1^st October, data sets from 50 patients have been entered into the trial database. Nottingham University Hospitals is one of several sites contributing to CovPall and strong links between the researchers and the nursing teams caring for patients with COVID-19 has helped contribute to the study. CovPall is a research project which is trying to understand more about how palliative care service and hospices are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the problems that services and patients and their families/those affected by COVID-19 are facing, and how to respond.