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Rarer cancers Why early diagnosisis so important
Men’s Health WeekMale cancers are in the spotlight this week
Pancreatic cancer The need for more research in this area
AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT DISTRIBUTED BY THE GUARDIAN ON BEHALF OF MEDIAPLANET WHO TAKE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ITS CONTENTS
PHOTO: LIZ KRUETZ, KRUETZ PHOTOGRAPHY
THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER
Lance Armstrong talks about his battle with cancer and how he overcame it to win the Tour de France seven consecutive times
OVERCOMING CANCER
No. 1 / June 2012
2 · JUNE 2012 AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET
The key to survival
Beating cancer remains a huge challenge we all face as more than one in three of us in the UK will develop some form of the disease during our lifetime. But with over 200 diff erent types of cancer, each with diff erent causes, symptoms and treatment, the problem is complex.
Men are at higher risk than wom-en of develop-ing and dying from the com-mon cancers like lung, bow-
el and stomach. The exact reasons for this are unclear, but it may be re-lated to lifestyle, levels of symptom awareness and whether they are willing to seek medical attention. We know men sometimes think they would be wasting the doctor’s time and may explain their symp-toms away but it really is worth making time to get checked out.
Progress being madeWe know that when cancer is diagnosed at an earlier stage
treatment is often easier and the chances of surviving are higher. That’s why raising awareness of how to reduce the risk of developing cancer and the importance of catch-ing the disease early are key.
It’s reassuring to know that, thanks to the work of Cancer Re-search UK’s dedicated scientists and doctors, we have made great
progress in the way cancer is diag-nosed and treated. Survival has dou-bled since the 1970s.
For many types of cancer includ-ing prostate, the most common can-cer aff ecting men in the UK, surviv-al has greatly improved. And death rates from two of the most common cancers in men — bowel and lung —have dropped to their lowest level for almost 40 years.
Better understanding neededRarer cancers like penile, tonsil and lip cancers aff ect fewer
people and, not surprisingly, most of us know little about them compared
to the more common kinds of the disease and are far less aware of symptoms that could be early signs of these rarer cancers.
It’s hard to remember all possible signs of all the diff erent kinds of can-cer. And that’s why Cancer Research UK encourages people to get to know what is normal for them and their body. That way, it’s easier to notice when something changes or seems diff erent. The key is to get any unu-sual or persistant change checked out by the doctor. You probably won’t have cancer but, if you do, the earli-er you are diagnosed the more likely treatment is to be successful.
Early diagnosis is keyNearly all cancers share the same fundamental key to sur-
vival — earlier diagnosis. That’s why Cancer Research UK is working hard to co-ordinate and promote ac-tivities that help promote earlier di-agnosis of cancer through the Na-tional Awareness and Early Diagno-sis Initiative (NAEDI).
For more information visit www.spotcancerearly.com
Sara Hiom, Director of information,Cancer Research UK
‘Awareness of this disease has grown over the past few years, but there is still some way to go’
Guy WilliamsDiagnosed with prostate cancer aged 51
PAGE 6
OVERCOMING CANCER, 1ST EDITION, JUNE 2012
Managing Director: Chris EmbersonEditorial and Production Manager: Faye GodfreyBusiness Development Manager: Dominic Webber
Responsible for this issueProject Manager: Fred GwatkinPhone: 020 7665 4410E-mail: [email protected]
Distributed with: The GuardianPrint: The Guardian Print Centre
Mediaplanet contact information: Phone: 020 7665 4400Fax: 020 7665 4419E-mail: [email protected]
We make our readers succeed!
WE RECOMMEND
CHALLENGES
Bone Cancer Awareness TrustCancer Laryngectomee TrustChildhood Eye Cancer TrustChildren with Cancer UKChronic Myeloid Leukaemia Support Group COREInternational Brain Tumour Alliance
Kidney Cancer Support Network Lymphoma AssociationMaggie’s Cancer Caring CentresMouth Cancer FoundationNeuroblastoma Society Oesophageal Patients AssociationOrchid Cancer Appeal Ovacome
Ovarian Cancer Action Pelvic Radiation Disease Association Pseudomyxoma SurvivorRare Disease UK Tanya’s Courage TrustThe Eve Appeal Wellbeing of WomenWessex Urology Support Group
Working together to ensure the voice of less common cancers is heard
Find out more: www.cancer52.org.uk
52 per cent of cancer deaths in the UK are from less common cancers and this number is increasing. Despite this the less common cancers remain severely under represented and underfunded across all areas, including
policy, services and research. Cancer52 is an alliance of more than 50 UK based organisations working to address this inequality and improve outcomes for patients with these highly challenging diseases.
ACLTSupports patients and actively raises awareness of bone marrow, blood and organ donation
AMENDSupporting those affected by multiple endocrine neoplasia disorders and endocrine tumours
AMMFDedicated to raising awareness and supporting research into cholangiocarcinoma
Barrett’s Oesophagus Cmpgn.Supporting sufferers of Barrett’s oesophagus and oesophageal cancer and their families.
British Lymphology SocietyActively promotes professional standards of Lymphoedema care
BrainstrustEmpowering brain tumour patients & carers 24/7 to take control of their situation
Brain Tumour UKgives help today and provides hope for tomorrow to everyone affected by a brain tumour
Brain Tumour ResearchFunds research at UK centres to accelerate progress and improve patient treatments and outcomes
British Thyroid FoundationSupporting and informing all those affected by thyroid disorders including thyroid cancer
Butterfly Thyroid Cancer TrustOffers information, support and encouragement to people affected by thyroid cancer
CCLGAssociation caring for the 1,700 children diagnosed with cancer in the UK and Ireland each year
CLIC SargentSupporting children and young people with cancer
GIST Support UKSupporting all affected by Gastro-Intestinal Stromal Tumours and working to further research
Guy Francis Bone CancerRaising money for research and promoting awareness of Britain’s number 1 teenage cancer
Heartburn Cancer AwarenessOf the 10% of UK people with heartburn,10% have Barrett’s oesophagus and 7% get cancer
It’s in the BagSupporting men with testicular cancer: Raising awareness and money and celebrating survival
CUP FoundationSupporting those affected by Cancer of Unknown Primary whilst promoting research
Jo’s Cervical Cancer TrustThe UK’s only charity dedicated to support those affected by cervical cancer and cervical abnormalities
Leukaemia CARESupporting anyone affected by a diagnosis of a blood or lymphatic cancer
Lymphoedema Support Ntwk.Supporting and informing those living with or affected by lymphoedema regardless of cause
MDS UK Patient Support GroupRaising awareness, supporting the 2,500 diagnosed with Myelo-Dysplastic Syndromes every year
Meningioma UKDedicated to helping everyone affected by a brain or spinal cord meningioma
Myeloma UKInforming and supporting those affected by myeloma through education and campaigning
Myrovlytis TrustPromoting research into rare genetic kidney disorders such as BHD syndrome
NET Patient Foundation Providing information and support to people affected by neuroendocrine cancer
Pancreatic Cancer ActionImproving survival through greater awareness, early diagnosis, information and increased funding
Pancreatic Cancer UKFighting pancreatic cancer on all fronts: support, information, campaigning and research
Rarer Cancers FoundationOffers general advice,information, and works to improve services for people with rarer cancers
Brain Tumour TrustUK’s largest brain tumour charity, funding top-quality research and provide information and support
Sarcoma UKThe main charity in the UK dealing with all types of sarcoma cancer
Target Ovarian CancerWorking to save lives and help women diagnosed in the UK to live their lives to the full
Teenage Cancer TrustDedicated to improving the lives of the six 13-to-24 year olds diagnosed with cancer every day
TCSG - WalesGroup supporting patients in Wales with thyroid cancer
AMENDAssociation for Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Disorders
LSNTHE LYMPHOEDEMASUPPORT NETWORKbecause lymphoedema matters
myrovlytis trust
4 · JUNE 2012 AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET
“The right attitude is everything. The day I decided to grab the bull by its horns and fi ght the disease is the day I won,” says Lance Armstrong. At 25 years old he was one of the world’s best cyclists. The year was 1996 and Armstrong had already won one world championship. He was cyc-ling well and his future was bright.
But something was wrong. In Oc-tober he got the news that changed everything. The diagnosis was testi-cular cancer, the most common cancer among men between the age of 15 and 35. “The cycling all of a sud-den felt unimportant,” says Arm-strong. “If testicular cancer is found early, the cure rate is 90 per cent, but just like most young, healthy men I ignored the symptoms — I never re-alised how dangerous it could be.” His cancer had spread to his sto-mach, lungs and brain. “My chanc-es were all of a sudden a lot smaller,” tells Armstrong.
The search for knowledgeArmstrong admits that he was sca-red but also determined. “I saw myself as someone that should
fi ght the cancer and not as a vic-tim,” he describes.
He started reading about the di-sease and the diff erent treatments available. The treatment made him sick and exhausted, but he refused to let the cancer break him. “Half way through the treatment my dri-ving license ran out. I could have waited to renew it until I felt better — and until my hair grew back, but I decided not to wait. I took myself down to the test centre and placed myself in front of the camera. I was completely bald with no eyelashes or eyebrows and my skin was grey. I looked into the camera and smiled. I wanted to keep that image so I could never forget how sick I once was,” tells Armstrong.
Positive outcomeAgainst the odds, the treatment worked, and he slowly started to
think about cycling again. “I have competed on a high level for most of my life and I am sure that I would ha-ve had a long and successful career as a professional cyclist even if I didn’t get cancer. But the cancer put passion, pain and fear — all parts of the Tour de France — into a new perspective. Not one victory lap in the Tour can be compared with that,” he says.
In 1999, Armstrong had a clear go-al: Tour de France. The fact that he was able to compete in the fi rst pla-ce was a victory for both himself and others that had overcome cancer. But that was not enough — he wan-ted to win. For the next seven years Armstrong stood on the top of the winners’ stand.
“The cancer made me focussed, brought meaning into my life and gave me something to live for. The life I have now is thanks to my can-cer diagnosis and I appreciate life
in a completely new and much bet-ter way because I fought cancer and was lucky to survive. My experience has given me the opportunity to give something back to society in a way that I could never imagine before.”
One piece of advice that Arm-strong gives is to learn as much as possible about the disease. “Listen to other people’s stories and look for answers. You cannot overestimate the value of good support. Cancer is hard but you must never lose hope. Surround yourself with family and friends, ask the tough questions, fi nd new ways of looking at your life and keep the hope alive,” he advises.
Inspiring othersWhen Armstrong beat cancer, he be-came a role model and a motivator for other people in the same situa-tion. In 1997 he started the organisa-tion the Lance Armstrong Founda-tion, an association dedicated to fi gh-ting cancer and supporting cancer patients and survivors. The revenue from the yellow LIVESTRONG brace-let supports cancer patients and the work towards increasing knowled-ge about the disease. It tells people to dare to change their lives for the bet-ter, as Armstrong explains “LIVEST-RONG is not just about cancer, but about living your life to the full.”
INSPIRATION
‘You must never lose hope’
ERLEND LANS PEDERSEN
■ Born 18 September 1971
■ Became a professional cyclist
in 1992, and world champion 1993
■ Diagnosed with cancer in 1996
■ Came back to win the Tour de
France for the fi rst time in 1999,
and consecutively for the next
seven years.
■ Currently a spokesperson and
activist for cancer patients and
survivors across the world
■ Question: How do you cope if you are diagnosed with cancer?
■ Answer: Think of yourself as a winner not a victim, says world champion cyclist, Lance Armstrong.
PROFILE: LANCE ARMSTRONG
JUNE 2012 · 5AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET
HIFU offers real hope for men with prostate cancerHigh intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) delivers high energy into the prostate from outside the body and has been used with great success for early prostate cancer.
This can be a day-case procedure with rapid recovery and is one of the few options for men with recurrent prostate cancer after radiotherapy.
Nearly 30,000 men have been treated over the last 15 years and long-term data shows excellent cancer control.
The reduction in morbidity compared with surgery and ra-diotherapy will benefit many. The accuracy makes focal therapy pos-sible, where the cancer is destroy-ed but the rest of the prostate re-mains intact — a recent UK study in The Lancet shows no side ef-fects, especially no erectile dys-function or incontinence.
The hope is that men can be di-agnosed early and those who re-quire treatment be offered new op-tions which do not destroy their quality of life.
Paul Miller,
Senior urological surgeon,
Surrey and Sussex NHS Trust
TAKING CONTROLLance Armstrong refused to think of himself as a victim when he was diagnosed with cancer in 1996PHOTO: LIZ KRUETZ, KRUETZ
PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
6 · JUNE 2012 AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET
My story of survival
“My dad was diagnosed with pros-tate cancer and his brother, Peter, received the same diagnosis a few years earlier. He was really adamant that my brother and I should get our-selves to our doctors for a check-up.
“So during Christmas 2010, I went along to see a doctor to ask if I could have a PSA blood test to see if anything might be wrong. The fi rst doctor that I saw at the prac-tice suggested that the PSA test was not entirely reliable and talked me through its pros and cons. He was entirely professional and gave me material to read to help me make a decision. Initially I decided not to have the test.”
Family history“Just a short while later, I went back to see a diff erent doctor at the sur-gery, who thought I should have a
PSA test because of my family history. “The test showed that my PSA
level was raised, so to be on the safe side, the doctor did a repeat test. When this came back again with a PSA reading higher than is prob-ably normal in someone my age, I was referred to a specialist for an internal examination and biopsy.
“On 14 March, I was told by one of the surgeons at the hospital that I did have prostate cancer and that the best treatment option for me would be for me to have the prostate gland completely removed.
“It was just a very strange peri-od. Although the diagnosis wasn’t completely out the blue, it still real-ly knocked me.”
Knowing your options“Although surgery seemed to be the treatment I’d go for, I was still keen to fi nd out about other options, and so I went to see other specialists
along with my dad. It was a real sup-port to have him there both as my father and someone who was going through exactly the same situation.
“I had the surgery in May, and al-though it’s still early days, the pain and bladder control — the side ef-fects of the operation — are slowly getting better.
Talking about it“When I’ve told people about my prostate cancer, they’ve been quite understanding, but don’t really want to talk about it. Perhaps they just don’t have the vocabulary. It was in-teresting though how many people opened up about their own cancer experiences once I’d told them about mine. The Prostate Cancer Charity of-fers an online forum where men can share their experiences and talk to-gether and that’s so important for men in my position.
“If it hadn’t been for my dad en-couraging me to pay the doctor a visit, I probably would never have known I had prostate cancer as I, like many men, was symptomless. Awareness of this disease has grown over the past few years, but there is still some way to go.”
EMILY DAVIES
‘If it hadn’t been for my dad encouraging me to pay the doctor a visit, I probably would never have known I had prostate cancer’
NEWS
■ Question: What happened when one young father-of-three was diagnosed with prostate cancer — and what happened next?
■ Answer: Guy Williams, a secondary school drama teacher, was diagnosed at 51 — but he was not completely shocked by the news. He explains how he has thrived since his diagnosis.
A new target for the treatment of prostate cancer
■ Prostate cancer is the most fre-quently diagnosed cancer in men and the second biggest killer, with about 10,000 men dying of the dis-ease every year in the UK. Once prostate cancer has spread, it is very diffi cult to control, and so it is the spread of the cancer that makes the difference between cure and failure. Survival rates for men with disease that has spread have changed little over the last 60 years. That is what drives the mis-sion of the Prostate Cancer Re-search Centre (PCRC) to fi nd more eff ective ways of treating prostate cancer that has spread.
Genetic research ■ One of the PCRC scientists, Dr
Magali Williamson, discovered a genetic change that is frequent in prostate cancers, and may pro-vide a new target for therapy: Dr Williamson found mutations in one of the genes that controls cell movement, called Plexin B1. Mu-tations in the gene for Plexin B1 were present in about half the primary cancers and nearly all those that spread to bone. It seems that the cancer cells may have hi-jacked the Plexin B1 biochemical pathway to help them spread.
■ The next step is to fi nd a drug or monoclonal antibody that tar-gets the Plexin B1 pathway and slows down or prevents spread or kills cells containing the mu-tation. If preliminary research is successful, a new drug could be in trial within 5 years.
John RW Masters PhD FRCPath FRCR(Hon), Professor of Experimental Pathology, UCL
NEWS IN BRIEF
FAMILY MANGuy Williams, diagnosed with prostate cancer aged 51, pictured with his 3 childrenPHOTOS: THE PROSTATE CANCER
CHARITY, BRUCE WILLIAMS
TREATING PROSTATECANCER QUESTIONS
& ANSWERSFor a FREE copy of this booklet please contact us at the address below.
This booklet has two aims:
• to help you become better informed about prostate cancer and its treatment.
• to guide you in the decisions you will make about your care with your doctor.
It cannot replace talkingto your GP or hospitaldoctor.
If you can help us by raising funds for ourresearch or to make a donation pleasecontact us at the address below.Your support is vital!
Prostate Cancer Research Centre • 67 Riding House Street • London • W1W 7EJ Tel: 020 7679 9366 • email [email protected] • www.prostate-cancer-research.org.uk
Call us today on 020 8247 3351 or visit www.cancercentrelondon.co.uk to fi nd out more.
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8 · JUNE 2012 AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET
Individually, the cancer that a per-son has may be classified as rare — but collectively, the challenges faced by those with a rarer or less common cancer are the same, from difficulty with diagnosis to a lack of access to support, says Simon Davies, Chair of Cancer52, the organisation estab-lished to give a voice to people with less common cancers by represent-ing its 57 (and rising) patient support group charity members. “Over 50 per cent of people who die from cancer have a rare or less common cancer,” he points out — a majority.
Diagnosis and referralOne of the main challenges for peo-ple with a rarer cancer is getting diagnosed, explains Davies: “There is a range of symptoms associated with rarer cancers which GPs are less likely to see often, making ini-tial diagnosis a challenge.
“The next challenge is getting
referred to the right specialist followed by receiving optimum treatment by a specialist team with experience in that rare can-cer. Here at Cancer52 we are a big advocate of the 3 strikes ap-proach — if the problem can’t be diagnosed after 3 visits we say GPs should have to investigate further.”
Other particular challenges faced include difficulties relating to support and disruption to life — travelling further to a specialist will mean more time spent away from home, for example. With
regard to support, while every per-son with breast cancer has a breast cancer nurse, a similar level of spe-cialists and accessibility just does not exist for those with rare can-cer, points out Davies.
Challenges and solutionsThe solution, says Davies, is to be strategic at all levels: recognis-ing that these are a specific group of patients with specific needs. “The education of GPs is impor-tant but I think it is really diffi-cult to educate about every type of
cancer — a GP may not see some types of cancer ever in their whole career”, Davies points out. “In-stead, I think GPs need access to good diagnostic tools to enable symptoms of all kinds to be de-tected as early as possible.” The issue of diagnostic delay at some general hospitals also needs to be improved, he adds.
The costs of medicine is a par-ticularly serious business with regard to rarer cancers, Davies points out. The Cancer Drugs Fund, which works to provide medica-tion to cancer patients, is due to expire in 2014. “It is a good initia-tive but is only a sticking plaster,” says Davies. “Access to drugs needs to have a mainstream, long-term solution, with risk-sharing invest-ment between NHS and industry in drugs for rarer cancers.”
And education of the public, while important, must be targeted, says Davies. “It’s not possible to educate the public about every type of disease or range of symptoms — so in my view it’s more important to do much more to encourage them to be pro-active about their health, whether that’s about getting an initial refer-ral or a second opinion. Patient asser-tiveness is vitally important.”
Creating the best future
OFFERING A VOICE: Simon Davies talks about the challenges faced by those with rarer cancers, and encourages greater knowledge and understanding PHOTO: PRIVATE
EMILY DAVIES
NEWS
TAKE THE ACID TEST
How often do you suffer with heartburn? a. Never b. Monthly c. Weekly d. Daily
How long have you had heartburn? a. A few days b. A few weeks c. A few months d. More than a year
Action Against Heartburn Charities promoting earlier awareness of oesophageal and stomach cancer
www.actionagainstheartburn.org.uk
If you answered C or D to both you should inform your GP. Persistent acid reflux can develop into Barrett’s
Oesophagus or, rarely, Oesophageal Cancer.
■ Question: What is most important to know about the particular challenges faced by those with rarer cancers?
■ Answer: Patients with one of the 57 rarer and less common cancers occupy a unique position, fraught with potential challenges less often faced by those with a more commonly found type of cancer.
THE RARE CANCER …...that’s not so rare
Pancreatic cancer kills 22 people a day in the UKEarlier diagnosis can save more lives
Improving survival rates through greater awareness, early diagnosis, information and
increased funding
10 · JUNE 2012 AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET
Ali Stunt should be dead by now — according to statistics. Stunt, from Surrey, married with two children, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the age of 41 in 2007 — and is one of the fortu-nate few with pancreatic cancer to receive a diagnosis in time to save their life. In her case, this came after a circuitous journey via several doctors.
“Pancreatic cancer is the fifth commonest cause of cancer death and the 5-year survival rate is on-ly 3 per cent: most pancreatic cancer patients are diagnosed too late,” she explains.
Unexplained weight loss, along with abdominal and/or back pain and jaundice are three of the most commonly recognised symptoms of pancreatic cancer: sadly they can be indicative of late-stage disease, says Stunt: “It is important therefore to identify some early symptoms, or clusters of symptoms.”
Life and deathThere is an extensive degree of misdiagnosis, Stunt explains: partly due to the lack of awareness about symptoms, both among medical communities and the general public. In addition, early symptoms are often vague. These delays can mean the diff erence between life and death: being di-agnosed in time for surgery or not.
“I was lucky enough to be op-erated on the week after the ini-tial tests and my story highlights one of the few positives of pan-creatic cancer — the fact that if patients are diagnosed in time for surgery, their chances of sur-viving 5 years increases ten-fold.
This is a crucial message to com-municate to show there is some-thing that can be done.”
Towards this end Stunt set up Pancreatic Cancer Action, a national charity commit-ted to improving survival rates for this grim disease through greater awareness of symptoms amongst both consumers and the medi-cal profession, information and increased funding.
To help earlier diagnosis amongst the medical com-munity Pancreatic Cancer Action is about to launch an E-learning module for GPs developed in associ-ation with the Royal Col-lege of GPs. It is the fi rst of its kind for pancreatic can-cer and off ers some sort of practical solution to the problem of late diagnosis.
Improving statistics“The 5-year survival sta-tistics for pancreatic can-cer have not improved in over 40 years: I want to change that by having more people diagnosed in time for surgery — currently the only po-tential for a cure. One of the ways to do this is to raise aware-ness of the signs and symptoms.
“August is the 5-year anniversa-ry of my diagnosis. I am one of the lucky 3 per cent who sur-vive: it is my pas-sion that in the fu-ture many more will have the outcome that I have had.”
■ Question: Why has one woman’s survival of pancreatic cancer driven her to help others facing the disease?
■ Answer: For Ali Stunt, her diagnosis of pancreatic cancer came out of nowhere — and it was one that she nearly didn’t survive.
EMILY DAVIES
HOW I MADE IT
How I beat cancer against the odds
INSPIRATION
Supporting GPs is key to early detection of pancreatic cancer
The challenges related to early detection of pancreat-
ic cancer are well documented; not least the fact GPs see only one new pancreatic cancer patient every fi ve years. The pancreas is located deep inside the body, so early tumours cannot be seen or felt; many patients will not expe-rience symptoms until the can-cer has spread to other organs and many conditions other than pancreatic cancer will cause sim-ilar signs and symptoms. Finally, there are no simple tests that can be used to fi nd pancreatic cancer at an early stage.
However, there is also an emerging body of evidence that indicates many pancreatic can-cer patients experience a range of symptoms for some time prior to diagnosis, visit their GP more often than other cancer patients prior to be being referred for in-vestigation — and are signifi cant-ly more likely than most other cancer patients to be diagnosed as a result of an emergency pres-entation to hospital.
Steps to be takenA number of recent re-search initiatives, includ-
ing research undertaken by Pan-creatic Cancer UK, have provided some insight into pancreatic can-cer symptoms and how they pre-sent. We must consider all of this evidence and use it to fi nd ways to support GPs. For our part, Pancre-atic Cancer UK is bringing togeth-er experts at a Pancreatic Cancer Early Diagnosis Summit later this month in order to identify practi-cal steps that can be taken to help GPs to identify and act on pancre-atic cancer concerns sooner.
Alex Ford Chief Executive, Pancreatic Cancer UK
NEWS IN BRIEF
BEFORE
FACING CANCER WITH CONFIDENCE
Look Good...Feel Better – the only charity helping women manage the visible side-effects
of their treatment
For more information on our unique programmewww.lgfb.co.uk01372 747500
AFTER
Whilst pancreatic cancer is less common than the ‘big 4’ cancers – breast, lung, prostate and bowel – its shockingly low survival rate makes it the fifth most common cause of cancer death in the UK. Of the 8,000 people diagnosed each year, only 3 per cent survive beyond 5 years. This figure has remained unchanged for the last 30 years.
Experience with other cancers has shown that investment in research has a significant impact on improving survival rates. Yet historically, pancreatic cancer has been less well funded by the major funding bodies than other forms of cancer. Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund was set up in 2004 to address this shortfall. It is the only national charity exclusively funding research into the disease across the UK.
For scientists and clinicians, pancreatic cancer poses significant challenges. It’s a rapidly progressive disease that is extremely difficult to diagnose in its early stages and is resistant to traditional chemotherapies. Strong research is vital for tackling these challenges.
Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund supports a wide range of research: from projects focused on identifying markers for early detection through to those developing new forms of treatment such as gene therapies and immunotherapy. The basic biology of pancreatic cancer is becoming better understood, providing a springboard for more targeted treatments; so there is now real excitement within the research community about the potential
for progress and improving outcomes for patients.Research funded by the charity is taking place at institutions
across the UK and is entirely funded by public donations. But cutting-edge cancer research is an expensive business and there’s always more we can do, so we’re always happy to hear from people who’d like to get involved.
To find out more or to help fund research, please see www.pcrf.org.uk
Or email [email protected] phone 020 8360 1119
Let’s increase research to improve outcomes
Reg. Charity No. 1103253
The Guardian looks at how a charity-backed treatment model in Birmingham is delivering new treatments and stimulating economic regeneration.At Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth (QE) Hospital, the Centre for Clinical Haematology is building a reputation as a world class centre of excellence in the treatment of leukaemia and other blood cancers. Led by its Director Professor Charlie Craddock, a team of expert clinicians and specialist research nurses, have established a treatment model accelerating access to new drug and transplant therapies that is now attracting the attention of national Government.
“Remarkable progress is being made in the development of new treatments for patients with blood cancer and it is essential we ensure patients have access to these new, potentially life-saving therapies as quickly as possible,” explains Professor Craddock. “What we have established here is a regional clinical trials network providing rapid access to new treatments for leukaemia patients living in the UK’s second largest city. For many patients with leukaemia, there comes a point where standard therapies have been exhausted and
no effective treatments remain. Patients will then be told there is sadly nothing more that can be done. We are changing that conversation.”
Professor Craddock and leukaemia patient Graham Hampson-Silk set up a charity, Cure Leukaemia, in 2004 to increase access to novel treatments for patients with leukaemia.
“There are new treatments coming online all the time,” says Professor Craddock. “Many offer the possibility of effective treatment for patients who have exhausted standard options, but it is essential
assessed in clinical trials.”
Professor Craddock and his team have set up a model whereby the medical excellence of the QE Hospital and leading Life Sciences researchers at the University of Birmingham, combined with Birmingham’s large and diverse population, position the city as an ideal location for pharmaceutical companies to invest, providing free drugs for clinical trials and creating jobs in the process. The rate-limiting step in the safe and rapid delivery of these new therapies is the funding of
specialist research nurses to administer the trials and monitor patients’ progress.
For this reason Cure Leukaemia’s primary focus is
employed at hospitals across the West Midlands. To date it has helped to fund 8 new research nurses giving more than 400 patients access to in excess of £15m of revolutionary drugs, which they would
from. In the process it has also helped to create more than 150 new jobs in the life sciences sector in Birmingham.
“The model we have developed is elegantly simple,” says Professor Craddock. “It is highly leveraged – so for every £10,000 we invest in research nurses, we are able to secure another £100,000 in pioneering drugs. The Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local
as one of Birmingham’s key strengths because of its large, diverse population and outstanding clinical facilities which make it an internationally competitive location for translational medicine bringing inward investment and creating new jobs in the Life Sciences sector in the process.
About Leukaemia
We’re winning the fight against cancer today
“We want the work we are doing here at the Centre of Clinical Haematology to be an examplar of a larger vision that would establish Birmingham as the destination of choice for the rapid evaluation of new drugs; not just in leukaemia but in other cancers and diseases such as diabetes and kidney and liver disease resulting in major inward investment from global biopharmaceutical companies and regional SMEs.”
Leukaemia is a blood cancer that affects white blood cells.
The symptoms of leukaemia are caused by the lack of healthy blood cells in your blood supply – resulting in anaemia, bleeding and infections all of which can be life-threatening.
25,000 new cases of leukaemia or related disorders develop every year in the United Kingdom.
Approximately 7,000 adults in the West Midlands currently have leukaemia.
The chance of developing leukaemia increases with age and it is especially common among young adults.
Chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation have the capacity to cure a growing number of children but curative treatments are still unavailable for many patients, particularly adults.
Many leukaemia patients die because they don’t have access to pioneering drug and translational treatments that could have saved their life.
For further information on Cure Leukaemiaplease visit www.cureleukaemia.co.uk
Professor Craddock sees a bright future for Birmingham as a world class Life Sciences centre:
