The Fight Against Cancer: From Labs to Patients

Who doesn’t love a nice day on the beach catching some rays and feeling the warmth of the sun beating down? I’ll tell you who: melanocytes of fair skinned individuals! UV radiation from sunlight makes melanocytes work extra hard to produce melanin, which results in that sun-kissed look that we all enjoy. However, in the process, it induces harmful DNA mutations that can transform melanocytes into malignant melanoma cells. Come along to find out how UV radiation accelerates the development of melanoma skin cancer and what we can do to prevent it.

Dr Oing is a medical doctor and clinician scientist from Hamburg, Germany, who focuses on genitourinary cancers. Currently, he is working as a Research Fellow at the Manchester Cancer Research Centre on a translational prostate cancer project funded by the European Society of Medical Oncolog, along with collaborating with research groups in the CRUK Manchester Institute. His talk will take a look at treatment guidance in newly diagnosed prostate cancer and current research in this field happening in Manchester.

Proton Therapy is a radically new type of radiotherapy used to treat specific types of cancer. While conventional radiotherapy uses high-energy X-rays to deliver dose through the body and kill cancer cells, protons deliver their dose in a sharp peak of energy—a Bragg peak. Using protons has the potential to improve precision and targeting of radiotherapy, which could lead to fewer side effects and better outcomes for patients. NHS England have invested £250 million into two new Proton Therapy centres—the first has just opened at The Christie, and is already treating patients.

Ovarian cancer is often referred to as the silent killer; it progresses without obvious symptoms and most patients are diagnosed with advanced disease that has already spread. Treatment options are limited to surgery and cytotoxic chemotherapy, yielding modest survival rates: on average only 35% of patients are alive 10 years after the initial diagnosis. The talk will focus on recent discoveries by scientists and doctors in Manchester that may help improve the outcomes of patients with ovarian cancer.