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Cancer is predicted to affect one in two people. We are all afraid of it and want to understand more. Over last decades the treatment has dramatically improved and patients live much longer. But we still cannot help everyone. In our work we focus on understanding incurable cancers to make sure that one day everyone has right treatment. During this evening we will explain how we do this. Please note this venue has a strict no under 18’s policy. The function room is accessed by stairs and there is no lift.
Cancer research: whose responsibility is it?
Dr Rachel O'Donnell
(Researcher, Newcastle University and Cancer Surgeon)
At some point in our lives, we will all be affected by cancer - through a personal experience, or the experience of a family member. When faced with ill-health we expect that health system will provide us with the best care. How can we be sure that we get the most effective treatment and what happens when treatment no longer works? What can we expect from our doctors, our researchers and what help can we expect from our patients? I hope to share with you my experience as a cancer surgeon and as a researcher and discuss the role of the people who contribute the most to research - our patients.
Getting personal with cancer treatment
Dr Debbie Hicks
(Newcastle University Medical Faculty Fellow)
When a patient first receives a cancer diagnosis, there are a lot of big questions. Will I survive the disease? How long do I have to live? Which treatments are right for me? Often these questions cannot be answered with any certainty as patients with the same type of cancer respond differently to treatments, for unknown reasons. New technologies have shown us that a person's cancer can be as unique to them as their fingerprint, which brings significant challenges to predicting disease course and choosing the right cancer treatment. I will discuss the drive towards 'personalised medicine'.
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