Newsroom University of Manchester

Redefining radiotherapy for bladder cancer

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 10:33:00 +0100

It's the 11th most common cancer and it’s predicted that there could be 10,700 new cases of the disease every year by 2040.

Shorter treatment, greater impact

Bladder cancer advances rapidly and traditionally a course of radiotherapy is delivered over six and a half weeks. While developing new treatments is a core focus of cancer research, it’s also crucial to improve existing therapies.

As hospitals look to maximise healthcare resources for patients while also minimising the number of visits theyneed to make for treatment, researchers are innovating solutions for delivering radiotherapy both convenient for patients and less resource-intensive for the NHS.

Experimenting with larger treatment doses

A collaboration between the University and The Institute of Cancer Research London provided the first direct comparison of the two radiotherapy schedules used to treat muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

They looked at how fewer treatment visits could deliver the same patient outcomes as the longer, more frequent visits traditionally seen.

Researchers analysed data from two prior clinical trials. They compared a20-dose radiotherapy course over four weeks to a 32-dose radiotherapy course over six and a half weeks.

The results suggest that by administering fewer but larger doses of radiation to patients lowers the risk of the cancer coming back. Patients who received a 20-dose radiotherapy course over four weeks had a 29% lower risk of cancer reoccurrence over five years compared to those on a 32-dose course over six and a half weeks. Crucially, the reduced dose schedule did not increase side effects, maintaining treatment quality and impact.

Compassionate and intelligent patient care

The research marks a significant advancement towards more compassionate and intelligent care for bladder cancer patients. With the ongoing challenges faced in the NHS, prioritising shorter treatment durations is important to minimise hospital visits and safeguarding patient well-being.

Transforming prostate cancer treatment with targeted therapies

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 10:43:00 +0100

Understanding of the disease’s intricacies remains limited, leading to a standardised treatment approach rather than tailored therapy.

While prostate cancer is a significant contributor to male cancer deaths, in many cases it’s non-life-threatening so for some patients unnecessary treatments and their side effects could be avoided.

Striking a balance is crucial to ensure aggressive cancers are effectively managed while treatment-related complications are reduced. Improving our understanding of the different types of prostate cancer is needed, so that more personalised treatment can be used.

Expanding the potential for tailored therapies

Researchers from our university and The University of Oxford used artificial intelligence (AI) and whole genome sequencing to analyse DNA changes in prostate cancer samples from 159 patients.

They found that the tumours evolve along multiple pathways creating two different disease types. They differ in how the disease changes over time and were termed ‘evolutionary subtypes’ or ‘evotypes. These findings provided vital insights for classification and treatment.

As part of a follow-up study, the international Pan Prostate Cancer Group consortium is analysing genetic data from thousands of prostate cancer samples across nine countries. The team hopes the findings will revolutionise prostate cancer treatment, offering tailored therapies based on a person’s genetics, and save many more lives.

Enhancing understanding with genetic testing

The research team have since partnered with Cancer Research UK (CRUK) to develop a genetic test. The test, when combined with the standard prostate cancer checks, will give a clearer indication of patient outcomes and the tailored treatment options available.

Cancer Research UK 91ֱ�� Centre to receive £8.5m boost for clinician scientist training

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 09:00:00 +0100

Cancer Research UK has announced today that universities across Scotland and England including the Cancer Research UK 91ֱ�� Centre are set to receive a multimillion-pound cash injection to train more doctors as clinician scientists, so they can undertake cancer research. Cancer Research UK are investing a total of £58m, with 91ֱ�� set to receive £8.5m.

The Clinical Academic Training Programme will invest £58.7m at nine research centres including the Cancer Research UK 91ֱ�� Centre in partnership with the Christie NHS Foundation and The University of Manchester and The University of Leeds.

Clinician scientists play an essential role in translating cancer research, helping to bridge the gap between scientific research carried out in laboratories and clinical research involving patients. Working across both research settings, their contributions to new knowledge and its translation to clinical practice are critical for cancer research.

Cancer Research UK’s Clinical Academic Training Programme Award will continue to transform clinical research training at nine of its research centres over the next five years. It builds on the 5-year £50.7 million investment awarded by the charity in 2019. In total, the Cancer Research UK will have invested more than £109 million in this programme over ten years, signalling the critical role the charity plays in supporting the UK’s life sciences ecosystem.

Michelle Mitchell, Cancer Research UK’s Chief Executive, said: “Clinician scientists have a very important role to play by bringing their knowledge and experience of treating people with cancer to scientific research.

“We need all our doctors and scientists to be able to reach their full potential, no matter their background. That’s why we are continuing to provide flexible training options for early-career clinician scientists. After the success of the first five years of this programme, we want to encourage even more clinicians to get involved in cancer research to help us get closer to a world where everybody lives longer, better lives free from the fear of cancer.”

Becoming a clinician scientist usually involves doctors taking time out of their medical training to undertake a PhD, before returning to train in their chosen specialisation, but many clinicians don’t come back to research after qualifying as consultants.

To address this problem, Cancer Research UK awarded funding to provide flexible training options alongside mentorship and networking opportunities to better support clinicians who want to get involved and stay in cancer research, through building stronger clinician scientist networks within and across research institutes.

In particular, the funding allows universities to offer combined Bachelor of Medicine-Doctor of Philosophy (MB-PhD) qualifications to early career clinicians – which allows medical students to complete a PhD earlier in their medical training.

Data from the Medical Schools Council Clinical Academic Survey reports a decline in the number of clinical academic positions between 2011–2020. US data also suggests that offering combined qualifications retains more women in clinical research roles.

Welcoming Cancer Research UK’s renewing of clinical training funding in Scotland, the Director of the Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre, Professor Charlie Gourley, said: “We are delighted to gain further Cancer Research UK funding and to work with colleagues across Scotland to offer doctors new and flexible training opportunities so that they can become the clinical cancer researcher leaders of the future.

“It is vital for our laboratory scientists to be able to work with clinicians at all levels and specialities to find new and better treatments for cancer. This will undoubtedly lead to benefits for cancer patients in the longer term.”

The Cancer Research UK 91ֱ�� Centre is one of eight centres in England receiving further CATP funding The Director of the Cancer Research UK 91ֱ�� Centre and Professor of Cancer Studies at The University of Manchester, said: “Renewing funding for this programme of training and support for clinician scientists is another step forward. The increased flexibility offered, and additional funding and support after doing a PhD will allow more time for doctors to do research, no matter their background and personal circumstances.

“This continued investment by Cancer Research UK will deliver a highly enthusiastic, educated, and diverse workforce in the UK who will help bring new cancer treatments and diagnostic tests to those who need it most.”

Medical student, transferred to a CRUK-funded MB-PhD course in 2020. Under the supervision of , her PhD focussed on using a new way of measuring obesity-related factors in individuals, called “overweight years”, similar to how “pack-years” is used to measure an individual smoker’s tobacco use.

She completed her PhD studies in 2023 and should complete her medical degree next year, with her gained research experience informing her studies and medical practice.

Reflecting on her MB-PhD studies, Dr Nadin Hawwash said: “The MB-PhD pathway to become a clinical scientist stood out for me, because it helps medical graduates to stay in research following undergraduate training.

“The course allowed me to: undertake data science-focused cancer research; create international collaborations; assemble and analyse a consortium with over 1.4 million individuals from 10 countries; and present my research globally.

“I am thrilled that more aspiring researchers will be able to train as clinician scientists in 91ֱ�� and elsewhere, to contribute to cutting-edge cancer research projects that will ultimately benefit patients.”