Pioneering £56m cancer care hub

A NEW £56million network will transform Britain into a global hub for radiotherapy studies, Cancer Research UK will announce today.

The charity is funding the largest ever investment in the field which will accelerate the development of pioneering techniques.

Types of treatment include pulses of high-dose radiation delivered in a fraction of a second and proton beam therapy.

Scientists will also develop and test drugs that

could be used in combination with radiotherapy.

CRUK chief executive Michelle Mitchell said: “Radiotherapy is a cornerstone of cancer medicine, with around three in 10 patients receiving it as part of their primary treatment.

“The launch of our network marks a new era of radiotherapy research in the UK.

“Scientists will combine advances in our understanding of cancer biology with cutting-edge technology to make this treatment more precise and effective than ever before.”

Cancer Research UK RadNet will involve universities in Cambridge, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester and Oxford, Cancer Research UK City of London Centre, and The Institute of Cancer Research.

It is hoped that leading researchers and radiologists will be attracted to the network. Radiotherapy is used to treat 130,000 cancer patients in the UK each year.

Trustee Dr Adrian Crellin said: “I’ve seen first-hand how successful radiotherapy can be for patients that I treat, but it’s been frustrating to see the UK lagging behind other countries when it comes to prioritising research.”

He added that the investment will overhaul radiotherapy research to “bring the next generation of treatments to patients sooner”.