BBC documentary Horizon takes on cancer

Further details can be found on our dedicated microsite www.icr.ac.uk/horizon

BBC’s award winning documentary series, Horizon, will follow the work of The Royal Marsden and The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR)  in their hour-long episode “Horizon: Defeating Cancer” airing on Tuesday 10 April.

The film focuses on the organisations’ pioneering ‘bench-to-bedside’ approach to cancer medicine, as well as groundbreaking research at the ICR and state-of-the-art treatments used at The Royal Marsden. 

The ICR and The Royal Marsden have been working together for over 100 years to improve the lives of patients diagnosed with cancer and today form Europe’s largest comprehensive cancer centre. By working as one integrated centre, the two organisations are able to translate basic science quickly and effectively into clinical benefit for patients and to use observations from clinical trials to drive further basic research.

There are three key elements featured from The Royal Marsden:

Dr James Larkin - breakthrough treatment for advanced melanoma
A Phase III study led in the UK by Dr Larkin and his team at The Royal Marsden brought about a major breakthrough in the treatment of advanced melanoma – vemurafenib. This new drug is an example of the collaborative relationship between The Royal Marsden and The Institute of Cancer Research.  

Dr Nick Van As - CyberKnife
The BBC had unprecedented access to CyberKnife when it performed its first treatment on a patient at The Royal Marsden. The Royal Marsden is one of the first NHS Trusts to install the latest model of the robotic tool, which offers precision-targeted cancer treatment.

Mr Chris Ogden - the Da Vinci S
The Da Vinci S has been termed the ‘vanguard’ of surgical treatment for prostate cancer. It can cut and manipulate tissue through a tiny hole, and so reduce the pain and blood loss caused by open surgery. The BBC filmed while Consultant Surgeon Mr Chris Ogden and his team performed this advanced keyhole surgery.

Each part of the programme followed a patient from The Royal Marsden, filming them at home in the run-up to their treatment and during their hospital visits.

The programme-makers also interviewed three key ICR scientists to learn more about the research driving new treatment successes.

Professor Paul Workman – cancer drugs
The ICR is home to the world’s leading academic cancer drug discovery team. Professor Workman explains the team’s high-tech, creative approach to designing innovative new drugs acting on important cancer targets, which has led to the discovery of 16 new preclinical drug development candidates over the past six years, with six drugs progressing into the clinic in The Royal Marsden. Abiraterone – designed and discovered at the ICR and developed clinically in the The Royal Marsden – was approved last year for metastatic prostate cancer in North America and Europe.

Professor Nazneen Rahman – cancer genetics
Changes in our DNA are an important cause of cancer, and the ICR has identified more genetic changes linked to an increased risk of developing cancer than any other organisation in the world. Professor Rahman explains why understanding the genetic basis of cancer can have a huge impact on patients’ lives through screening, diagnosis and new treatment approaches.

Professor Richard Marais - cancer biology
The challenge of cancer biologists is to work out which genetic mutations are key to cancer’s growth and spread, and which are unimportant “passenger” mutations. The programme reveals how Professor Marais and colleagues at the ICR discovered the mechanisms by which the mutated BRAF gene drives cancer development in around 50 per cent of malignant melanomas, ultimately leading to the development of vemurafenib.

The documentary will air at 9pm on BBC Two, Tuesday 10 April. It will then be available to watch again, for at least a week, on www.bbc.co.uk/horizon. More information on the all the science featured in the programme is available on the ICR website.

- ENDS -

Notes to Editors

The Royal Marsden opened its doors in 1851 as the world’s first hospital dedicated to cancer diagnosis, treatment, research and education.

Today, together with its academic partner, The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), it is the largest and most comprehensive cancer centre in Europe treating over 40,000 patients every year.  It is a centre of excellence with an international reputation for groundbreaking research and pioneering the very latest in cancer treatments and technologies. The Royal Marsden also provides community services in the London boroughs of Sutton and Merton and in June 2010, along with the ICR, the Trust launched a new academic partnership with Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in Middlesex.  

Since 2004, the hospital’s charity, The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, has helped raise over £50 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 or contact the PR and Communications Team on 0207 808 2107 or elaine.parr@rmh.nhs.uk

The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) is one of the world’s most influential cancer research institutes.

Scientists and clinicians at the ICR are working every day to make a real impact on cancer patients’ lives. Through its unique partnership with The Royal Marsden Hospital and ‘bench-to-bedside’ approach, the ICR is able to create and deliver results in a way that other institutions cannot. Together the two organisations are rated in the top four cancer centres globally.

The ICR has an outstanding record of achievement dating back more than 100 years. It provided the first convincing evidence that DNA damage is the basic cause of cancer, laying the foundation for the now universally accepted idea that cancer is a genetic disease. Today it leads the world at isolating cancer-related genes and discovering new targeted drugs for personalised cancer treatment.

As a college of the University of London, the ICR provides postgraduate higher education of international distinction. It has charitable status and relies on support from partner organisations, charities and the general public.

The ICR’s mission is to make the discoveries that defeat cancer. 

For more information visit www.icr.ac.uk or contact the ICR’s Science Communications Manager Jane Bunce on 0207 153 5106 or after hours 077217 47900.