Science Talk

In 1995 researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, uncovered the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA2. This discovery helped families to assess their cancer risk through genetic testing, enabling them to be closely monitored or take preventative measures.

When Sue Vincent learned in 2010 that her ovarian cancer had spread to three different parts of her body and was inoperable, she resigned herself to having only months to live. But then she was offered a place on a clinical trial for a pioneering drug called olaparib, the discovery and development of which was underpinned by our research. 12 years on, Sue is still taking olaparib, and explains how the work of our scientists has given her a quality of life she could only have dreamed about.

Around 21,000 people are diagnosed with a gynaecological cancer in the UK each year. This September - Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month - our Communications Administrator Molly Andrews spoke to Professor Chris Lord and Dr Susana Banerjee about an important new trial in the gynaecological cancer field.