Science Talk

At a time when cancer researchers usually descend on Chicago for the biggest cancer conference of the year, Sarah Wells looks ahead at some of the highlights that researchers from The Institute of Cancer Research will be presenting at this year’s virtual edition of the ASCO Annual Meeting.

Research carried out by The Institute of Cancer Research, London, into cancer susceptibility genes has transformed our understanding of the inheritance of cancer risk. Genetic information can be used to help people with cancer and their families by informing them about their risk and guiding decisions over personalised cancer treatment. Cara Hoofe was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016. She has the inherited condition Lynch syndrome which means she had an 80% chance of developing bowel cancer and has a higher risk of developing womb and ovarian cancer. Here she explains how living with Lynch syndrome has changed her life.

Ben Kolbington reflects on the first day of the 15th NCRI conference in Glasgow, in which a key theme was turning research advances into practical and affordable solutions for improving patients’ lives.