Cancer Survivor and Star Wars Actor Launch £13 Million Imaging Centre
Friday 31 July 2009
A cervical cancer survivor and her twin daughters who are alive thanks to modern imaging technology today helped launch a new £13 million facility set to further improve cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Darth Vader actor David Prowse, who recently finished treatment for prostate cancer, also supported the launch of The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust’s new initiative.
The Cancer Research UK and EPSRC Cancer Imaging Centre at the ICR is expected to help scientists diagnose cancers earlier, get a better understanding of how tumours develop and ultimately could speed up the process of new drug development.
The first major stage of this £13 million initiative is a state-of-the-art Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner – co-ordinated through the Wellcome Trust and with funding courtesy of the Medical Research Council, The Wolfson Foundation and the National Institute for Health Research - which is now ready for use on patients involved in clinical trials at the ICR and The Royal Marsden Hospital site in Sutton.
Trials already planned for the machine involve patients with prostate, brain, cervical and breast cancers.
Cancer Imaging Centre co-director Professor Nandita deSouza says the scanner is essentially a very powerful magnet that will allow doctors to see what is happening inside the body in much greater detail.
“The new scanner will allow us to get a better picture of the shape as well as the behaviour of tumours,” Professor deSouza says. “I am greatly excited about the potential of this equipment. It will hugely improve our ability to detect and diagnose cancer and to determine if drug treatments are working.”
Cancer Imaging Centre co-director Professor Martin Leach says the powerful 3T scanner will be able to catch small, early-stage tumours that were previously undetectable with the older-model 1.5T scanner. The technology will create precise pictures of tumours in the body, allowing treatment to be accurately targeted to cancer cells.
“We can then use the scanner to watch how new drugs affect the cancer, allowing us to assess how patients are responding to treatment,” Professor Leach says. “This could ultimately speed up the process of developing new cancer drugs.”
Mother-of-three Michelle Stepney, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer while pregnant with twins, is proof of the benefits such technology can bring.
Professor deSouza used advanced MRI technology to work out precisely how far the cancer had grown and confirmed that the surgery could be delayed long enough for Mrs Stepney, 36, to carry Alice and Harriet to term.
Mrs Stepney received limited chemotherapy during her pregnancy to stop the cancer spreading and had a hysterectomy four weeks after delivering the twins in December 2006.
David Prowse, best known for acting in the original Star Wars films, has also thrown his support behind the new Cancer Imaging Centre after being treated for prostate cancer at The Royal Marsden from January until March this year.
“I was well cared for and my treatment was a success, but not everyone diagnosed with cancer is as lucky as me,” Mr Prowse says. “I am very happy to support this initiative, which should ultimately help other people survive a cancer diagnosis.”
The new facility – one of four large imaging centres being established across the UK – will ultimately include a range of new equipment including a magnetic resonance tissue scanner and a specialised ultrasound scanner.
It will ensure the ICR maintains its position as a world-leader in cancer imaging research, and that patients will immediately benefit from new advances through the unique partnership with The Royal Marsden.
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Media Contact: Jane Bunce or 0207 153 5106 or after hours 077217 47900
The Institute of Cancer Research
The Institute of Cancer Research is Europe’s leading cancer research centre with expert scientists working on cutting-edge research. In 2009, the ICR marks its 100 years of groundbreaking research into cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. In December 2008, the ICR was ranked as the UK’s leading academic research centre by the Times Higher Education’s Table of Excellence, based on the results of the Higher Education Funding Council’s Research Assessment Exercise. The ICR is a charity that relies on voluntary income. It is one of the world’s most cost-effective major cancer research organisations with more than 95p in every £ directly supporting research. For more information visit www.icr.ac.uk
The Royal Marsden Hospital
The Royal Marsden opened its doors in 1851 as the world’s first hospital dedicated to cancer treatment, research and education. Today, together with its academic partner, The Institute of Cancer Research, it is the largest and most comprehensive cancer centre in Europe treating over 40,000 patients every year. It is a centre of excellence, and the only NHS Trust to achieve the highest possible ranking in the Healthcare Commission’s Annual Health Check for the third year in a row. Since 2004, the hospital’s charity, The Royal Marsden Cancer Campaign, has helped raise over £43 million to build theatres, diagnostic centres, and drug development units. Prince William became President of The Royal Marsden in 2007, following a long royal connection with the hospital. For more information visit www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk
Cancer Research UK and EPSRC Cancer Imaging Centres
It was announced in October 2008 that the UK was set to benefit from a £50 million investment in cancer imaging over the next five years. Cancer Research UK will invest up to £30 million and the EPSRC will contribute £15 million. In addition, the Medical Research Council (MRC) will invest £3 million and at least £1.3 million will come from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
Up to £2 million a year was awarded to four large cancer imaging centres – Imperial College London, The Institute of Cancer Research, a joint centre between King's College London and University College London and The University of Oxford.
In addition, five cancer imaging research programmes will be set up at the following locations: The Childhood Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG) at The University of Birmingham, The Royal Surrey County Hospital, The University of St Andrews, Newcastle University and The University of Sheffield. They will each concentrate on a specific area of imaging research and receive an annual sum of up to £500,000 a year for the programmes.
Cancer Research UK
- Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading charity dedicated to beating cancer through research.
- The charity’s groundbreaking work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has saved millions of lives. This work is funded entirely by the public.
- Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival rates double in the last thirty years.
- Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of more than 4,500 scientists, doctors and nurses.
- Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to beat cancer.
For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how to support the charity, please visit www.cancerresearchuk.org
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK's main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. The EPSRC invests around £740 million a year in research and postgraduate training, to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements for everyone’s health, lifestyle and culture. EPSRC also actively promotes public awareness of science and engineering. Further information about EPSRC can be found at www.epsrc.ac.uk
The Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending over £600 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing. www.wellcome.ac.uk
The Medical Research Council (MRC)
The Medical Research Council is dedicated to improving human health through excellent science. It invests on behalf of the UK taxpayer. The results have led to some of the most significant discoveries in medical science and benefited the health and wealth of millions of people in the UK and around the world. Research ranges from molecular level science to public health research, carried out in universities, hospitals and a network of MRC units and institutes. The MRC liaises with the Health Departments, the National Health Service and industry to take account of the public's needs. www.mrc.ac.uk
The National Institute for Health Research
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) provides the framework through which the research staff and research infrastructure of the NHS in England is positioned, maintained and managed as a national research facility. The NIHR provides the NHS with the support and infrastructure it needs to conduct first-class research funded by the Government and its partners alongside high-quality patient care, education and training. Its aim is to support outstanding individuals (both leaders and collaborators), working in world class facilities (both NHS and university), conducting leading edge research focused on the needs of patients.
The Wolfson Foundation
The Wolfson Foundation is a charitable foundation set up in 1955. Grants are given to support excellence and to act as a catalyst. There is a continued emphasis on funding infrastructure for science and technology, health, education, and the arts. More information is available at www.wolfson.org.uk
