Largest Head & Neck Centre in the North West Joins Research Study

Liverpool Head and Neck Cancer Centre at Aintree University Hospital

Cancers affecting the head and neck are a devastating disease and in urban areas of Cheshire and Merseyside and in particular, Liverpool it is currently a major problem. With an annual incidence rate three times the national average (35 cases per 100,000) it is compared with socio-economically deprived regions of India, South America and South Africa. This incidence rate correlates with socio-economic deprivation with mortality rates higher than England as a whole.

The centre was formed following collaboration between the University of Liverpool, Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust and Liverpool Health Partners.

Liverpool Head and Neck Centre prides itself on combining the strength of it’s clinical units and research groups, allowing it to urgently address unmet local healthcare needs to improve the quality and safety of patient care.

With so many influential and experienced partners involved, it is ideally placed to undertake the research necessary to solve the fundamental issues which need to be addressed in the North West.

One of these key areas is quality of life after treatment.

Recovery Time & Feeding/Medication after treatment

Research suggests there is a direct correlation between delaying time-critical feed/medication following treatment and the recovery time for the patient. One of the main issues with nasogastric tube feeding is the inability to obtain an aspirate in order to perform pH strip testing, which must be performed to determine the position of the tube before use. This often means feed/medication is delayed.

The NGPOD® system has the potential to improve the quality of life after treatment for those patients requiring nasogastric feeding tubes post-treatment, as it eradicates the need to aspirate a sample of gastric content by taking the pH test to the tip of the NG tube, inside the patient.

This not only means the patient can be fed quicker and continue with their recovery, it could also prevent the use of x-rays used to confirm NG tube position, offering patient safety benefits and potential cost savings for the Trust.

Dr Samuel C. Leong, Lead Consultant Rhinologist and Anterior Skull Base Surgeon at Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust had this to say about the study;

“The Liverpool Head and Neck Centre and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network North West Coast are fully supportive of Shirley Pringle and her team at Aintree University Hospital in making the NGPOD study a great success”

The study is due to begin mid-September so be sure to follow us on our social media platforms to keep up to date with progress! Rosemary Howell, Clinical Trial Lead at NGPod Global commented:

“NGPOD Global Ltd is delighted to be undertaking this research study with The Liverpool Head and Neck Centre. They offer an opportunity to study this novel device on patients undergoing surgery and add to the body of knowledge on the performance of the device.

It is only with the co-operation of patients and staff that we can undertake this research, which we hope will improve the quality of care for future patients. All at NGPOD Global are looking forward to working closely with The Liverpool Head and Neck Centre to deliver the study.”