THOUSANDS of Scots cancer patients are taking part in pioneering £5.5 million research which could help save lives in the future.
The charity Cancer Research is aiming to establish a world-class NHS genetic testing service for the UK which could help doctors identify “personalised” treatments for cancer patients.
When new drugs become available, doctors will have access to the tests they need to help them decide which treatments are most likely to be successful.
The genetic testing will allow doctors to build a database for new therapies for some of the most common cancers.
The first phase of the programme will study six types of cancer – breast, bowel, lung, prostate, ovary and melanoma.
Patients will be recruited through a network of more than 20 hospitals around the UK.
The include Glasgow’s Royal Infirmary and the Western Infirmary, Edinburgh’s Western General Hospital and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
They will be asked to give consent for a small sample of their tumour to be sent to one of three leading NHS genetic testing labs.
In the labs DNA will be extracted and analysed for a range of molecular faults linked to cancer. This information will be stored alongside other relevant clinical information to allow researchers to compare the success of different treatments in relation to specific faults within cancer cells.
Although the programme will not alter patients’ treatment at this stage, it is hoped it could help scientists design tailored treatments in the future.
Cancer specialists say Scotland continues to lag behind other parts of and Europe for survival rates.
Medical staff from Cancer Research UK’s Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMC) in Glasgow and Edinburgh, along with five of the charity’s other ECMC’s are carrying out the research.
Grant Lowe, 64, of the Black Isle, near Inverness, is one of the first patients taking part in the programme.
He was diagnosed with malignant melanoma – a form of skin cancer – in 1997 following tests on a mole on his back.
Since he was diagnosed he has taking part in four different drug trials at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre in Glasgow and believes that they have helped prolong his life.
He said: “Being part of research trials has been a life-saver and has given me a good quality of life which I enjoy with my family.
“I would hope this new Stratified Medicine Programme will eventually make a big difference and help develop new and improved treatments for people who are diagnosed with cancer in years to come.”
James Peach, director of Cancer Research UK’s Stratified Medicine Programme, said: “By hard-wiring research into the day-to-day care of cancer patients, we can harness the power of the NHS to bring personalised medicine a step closer to reality.”
Professor Jeff Evans, lead researcher at the Glasgow ECMC, based at Cancer Research UK’s Beatson Institute within Glasgow University, said: “We are extremely grateful to all these patients who, by contributing to this research, are allowing us to take great strides towards beating cancer.”
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