ON THE PULSE… for people affected by breast cancer

Cancerkin’s news Update….

Intrabeam handover and Santy Parbhoo

On 8th October, Cancerkin celebrated the formal handover of the Intrabeam Machine to the Royal Free Hospital and honoured the work of our much loved Chairman, Mr Santilal Parbhoo, who stepped down from the Chair and became our Life President.
The Intrabeam machine is part of Cancerkin’s commitment to research into breast cancer and its treatment. Cancerkin raised over £200,000 to buy the machine to study the effect of a single dose of intra-operative radiotherapy as against several weeks of conventional radiotherapy. The study is part of a multi centre international study known as TARGIT and during the evening Mo Keshtgar, consultant surgical oncologist and member of the TARGIT team, updated the guests on exciting developments in the study. He, along with Trustee Chair of the hospital, Dominic Dodd and new Chair of Cancerkin, Dr John Carrier, also praised the pioneering work of Santy Parbhoo at this hospital and in the creation of Cancerkin and its renowned lymphoedema clinic. Santy was presented with a silver photograph frame as a small token of appreciation by his fellow trustees and after his response and thanks to those with whom he has worked over the years, guests enjoyed champagne and nibbles!

In the news…

The annual conference of the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) has resulted in a lot of headline material on breast cancer and its treatment. Also, with October being breast cancer awareness month, there have been many articles in the press on this subject. Here is a selection of the articles:
In the Mirror on Sunday magazine (04.10.09), there was an article on what they call ‘cancer-fighting foods’ - foods they say can help cut your risk of cancer and those that should be avoidedhttp://www.mirror.co.uk/life-style/sex-health/2009/10/05/eat-your-way-to-beating-cancer-115875-21723000/
The Cancer Research UK website reports on the results of a survey published online in the British Journal of Cancer which shows that an estimated 40% of people in Britain would delay going to their GP with cancer symptoms because they did not want to bother them, were worried what they would find or did not want to waste their time. Professor Jane Wardle, from Cancer Research UK said: "A lot of work now needs to be done to help people feel like they can go to their doctor as soon as they find something that could be a symptom of cancer."Changes to public attitudes along with changes within the healthcare system will be fundamental to making a difference."Cancer is more likely to be treated successfully when it's spotted early, so it's crucial that we do something with the results of this survey quickly." http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/news/archive/pressreleases/2009/october/late-cancer-diagnosis
BBC News reports on a government grant that has been awarded to a charity called ‘My New Hair’ (www.mynewhair.org.uk) set up by celebrity hairdresser Trevor Sorbie. The charity aims to train hairdressers in wig styling and hair-care for cancer patients who have lost their hair after chemotherapy. The government grant will extend training and education to nurse led training to hairdressers in aftercare for patients whose hair is growing back and the psychological implications of hair loss.
In Monday’s edition of the Daily Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/women_shealth/6256195/Breast-Cancer-Why-are-so-few-women-having-reconstructive-surgery.html
They report on the findings from the National Mastectomy and Breast reconstruction Audit that just 48% of women with breast cancer were offered the option of reconstruction in 2007/08. This is despite the fact that NICE guidelines say that 100% of eligible patients should be offered this procedure. They also talk about various breast reconstruction options with Dr Charles Nduka a consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon.
Reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL5638086 has an article on tamoxifen and a study in Germany that has identified a gene enabling some people to respond to the drug better than others. If all patients could be tested for this gene, it seems that it might be possible to prescribe from the start one of the alternative drugs for those who will be unable to benefit from tamoxifen, thereby creating a more personalised treatment.
An article in the Daily Mail talks about a technique using stem cells and liposuction to replace missing breast tissue after removal of a lump and also to smooth out scars. Fat is removed from the stomach, hips or thighs of the patient and the stem cells are separated and treated before being recombined with the fat cells and then injected back into the breast. Mr Nader Khonji, a plastic surgeon who is leading the trial at the Singleton Hospital in Swansea said: “There are no new scars involved and the system encourages the growth of new blood vessels which has been the failing of fat grafts in the past”. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1218860/Stem-cells-hide-scars-New-hope-women-disfigured-cancer.html
Finally, back to the Daily Telegraph, for a report on the possibility of a stem cell vaccine for cancer. Research in the US and China is still in its infancy and is related to bowel cancer at the moment, but the hope is that the work could be widened to provide a vaccine for all cancers.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6269084/Stem-cell-vaccine-for-cancer-step-nearer.html

14th October 2009