Cancer Research UK is Weald Rotary’s main charity for the North Downs Walk. Last year, 350+ walkers meant that we could donate £17,300 to CRUK.
Last week our Walk chairman, Chas Bedford, met CRUK staff and fundraisers at Barts Cancer Institute (itself part-funded by CRUK) to hear about some of the latest research that they support. Dr Nisha Duggan gave examples from the four main areas of research: Discover, Prevent, Detect and Treat, dealing with the more ‘hard to treat’ cancers.
Discover. Pancreatic cancer has a very poor survival rate, because it is usually diagnosed too late. A team is working on the basic biology and DNA changes involved, so that early stage pancreatic cancer can be recognised, and the disease treated earlier.
Prevent. Lung cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer, and one of the most preventable. A team is working to develop LungVax (based on the same vaccine technology as the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine) which could be given to the most high-risk patients to prevent the cancer developing.
Detect. Another team is working to develop a simple breath test for stomach cancer. They are researching gases produced by normal stomach functions, and whether cancer causes differences (different gases or different proportions) that can be detected by a breath test, rather than needing a biopsy.
Treat. A team is working on viruses associated with liver cancer and looking for a vaccine that could be combined with hepatitis vaccines.
CRUK is the worlds second-largest funder for cancer research and the largest private sector funder.(the largest is the National Cancer Institute, a US government body) funding some £400m per year. All donations are valued; we have some examples of what our walkers’ sponsorship could provide:
Individual sponsors or walkers. £2 buys a box of microscope slides, £5 buys 100 test tubes and £25 buys a Bunsen burner. All of this is essential kit, which keeps the laboratories working. £100 buys a cancer biopsy for a patient.
Walking teams. £250 buys a centrifuge, to separate different types of blood cells for study. £500 would run the Cancer Chat online forum for a day. £1000 would buy imaging software to film cells in real time. £2500 would fund a clinical trial for five days.
Click here for a PDF describing CRUK’s work in the south-east.
Cancer is becoming more survivable. In 1970, only 1 in 4 patients would survive 10 years after diagnosis. Currently, the figure is 2 in 4 (50%) and CRUK’s aim is to increase that to 3 in 4 by 2034. Weald Rotary, through our wonderful walkers and their sponsors, is proud to be a part of that.