Blog by Dr Anna Spathis, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Associate Specialty Director in Palliative Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine and Dr Stephen Barclay, University Senior Lecturer in Palliative Care, Primary Care Unit, University of Cambridge. Teenage and young adults with cancer have inspired and steered a novel research study to develop a treatment […]
A simple questionnaire could be a cost-effective way to monitor for melanoma skin cancer
Melanoma is rare, but also the most dangerous form of skin cancer, with around 14,500 new cases diagnosed and 2600 deaths in the UK each year. Early detection is critical: overall, around 90 in every 100 patients with melanoma will still be alive five years after diagnosis. But for those diagnosed with advanced disease, only […]
New research to explore whether inviting people for screening based on their risk rather than their age alone can improve efficiency of screening programme
Dr Juliet Usher-Smith, an academic general practitioner from the Primary Care Unit (PCU) at the University of Cambridge, has been awarded a grant of almost £65,000 from Bowel Cancer UK and Beating Bowel Cancer. The research will investigate whether people living in England should be invited to take part in the bowel cancer screening programme […]
First CanTest School held to boost research into early detection of cancer in primary care
The first CanTest International School for Cancer Detection Research in Primary Care was held earlier this month at Jesus College, Cambridge, with a focus on the challenges and cost-effectiveness of diagnostic testing in primary care. The week-long event, led by CanTest Director, Dr Fiona Walter, brought together international leaders in the primary care early detection […]
How my six week primary care SSC project led to my first-author paper in Cancer Epidemiology
Blog by Tessa Stewart, final year medical student, University of Cambridge It’s a common feeling amongst medical students that we cannot meaningfully contribute to patient care, due to our lack of knowledge and expertise. On 4 February, World Cancer Day, I felt that I contributed by publishing my first first-author paper in Cancer Epidemiology. This […]
Reimagining the diagnostic pathway for gastrointestinal cancer
Blog by Dr Fiona Walter, head of the Cancer Group at the Primary Care Unit and Director of the CanTest Collaborative A crisis is looming for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal cancers, one grounded only partly in the steady increase in their overall incidence. Public demand for diagnostic tests to be undertaken early and at lower […]