A pioneering £4.6 million unit devoted to improving treatments for women with the most common type of breast cancer was officially opened today by the Prince of Wales.
A pioneering £4.6 million unit devoted to improving treatments for women with the most common type of breast cancer was officially opened today by the Prince of Wales.
The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit at Edinburgh's Western General Hospital aims to ensure that patients are treated in the most appropriate way for their particular type of cancer.
The centre, based at the University of Edinburgh's laboratories next to the hospital's existing breast unit, has brought together some of the best Scottish-based scientists and doctors to develop a centre of excellence for breast cancer.
Scientists will primarily focus on trying to find better drugs to treat hormone-sensitive breast cancer, which affects around three-quarters of the 4,000 women who are diagnosed with the disease every year in Scotland.
Charles, the patron of the Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity, spent an hour at the research unit and breast clinic, where he met staff involved in the project.
He was given a guided tour of the facility, accompanied by its director, Professor David Harrison, and clinical head Mike Dixon.
Unveiling an official plaque, Charles - known as the Duke of Rothesay in Scotland - praised the dedication shown by staff and the "valuable" work they do.
He said: "This particular research unit clearly is going to make an enormous difference in terms of removing unnecessary treatment and making a real difference at the end of the day to so many patients who have to go through treatment, many of which, as you know, suffer from side-effects in one way or another.
"I do know that this particular research will lead to something really of benefit to certain patients."
He also said: "My problem always on these occasions is there's never enough time to be able to ask all the incredibly stupid questions I want to ask about the incredibly complex things the researchers are studying.
"But I was particularly interested in terms of the way that this unit here is complimenting what is going on in London with Breakthrough's research unit there, which I remember opening some years ago."
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK, with more than 44,000 women and around 300 men being diagnosed every year.
In 2004, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 3,917 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in Scotland.
Research at the Breakthrough unit in Edinburgh will focus on improving treatment for hormone-sensitive breast cancer, the most common form of the disease.
Women with this type of tumour are usually treated with hormone therapies such as tamoxifen, but not everyone benefits from these treatments and many women experience the problem of drug resistance when their treatment stops working.
The aim of the new unit is to ensure women are treated in the most appropriate and effective way for their particular type of breast cancer, overcoming or avoiding the problem of drug resistance.
Those behind the unit said its location next to the UK's largest breast clinic will help ensure laboratory results are turned into direct benefits for patients as quickly as possible.
