Glasgow University researchers set for funding boost to improve cancer care
They want to use the £1.5m for research into “better and kinder” treatments
Researchers at Glasgow Uni are in line to get £1.5 million in funding over the next five years to improve Scottish cancer patients’ quality of life.
The Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Glasgow RadNet team hopes to use the money to strengthen the effectiveness of treatments by combining new drugs with radiotherapy.
It’s in a bid to improve outcomes in patients with particularly challenging types of cancer prevalent in the west of Scotland.
Professor Anthony Chalmers of the University of Glasgow, who leads the RadNet team, told Clyde 1: “We are really excited about this grant because we believe we have a lot to offer the people of Glasgow with better radiotherapy treatment for a variety of cancers.”
The list is extensive and includes lung cancer, glioblastoma, head and neck cancers, mesothelioma, as well as cancers of the pancreas and rectum.
Approximately 34,600 people in Scotland are diagnosed with cancer every year - more than 4 people every hour, according to the Scottish Government.
Lung cancer has especially poor outcomes with around 3,300 people in Scotland diagnosed at a later stage, which makes the search for more effective treatments essential.
Professor Chalmers continued: “Unfortunately, patients in Scotland in general and the west of Scotland in particular sometimes don’t go to their doctors early enough with symptoms, so when they are diagnosed with lung cancer, it is at a more advanced stage and that can make it more difficult to treat.”
In addition to investigating effects of cancer metabolism on responses to radiotherapy, a key focus will be placed on studying the effect of social deprivation on outcomes for patients who receive radiotherapy. Researching whether health inequalities affect people’s access to radiotherapy, as well as their likelihood of cure.
Professor Chalmers told Clyde 1: “We suspect there will be inequalities here, so we want to find out what they are and then, importantly, we want to find out what can be done about them.” He is hopeful that this could enable that “people from any socioeconomic background can get access to radiotherapy, get access quickly, and get good results from the treatment.”
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