Clinical trials are vital for improving treatment for people with cancer
The debate over the relative merits of the UK and US healthcare systems is rumbling on. The truth is that different systems work in different ways, have different priorities and do different things well. Henry has already written about the difficulties of making comparisons about cancer care between different countries.
In spite of the criticisms, the NHS is a health system that we can be proud of. One of the most impressive achievements is the UK’s strong record in cancer clinical trials.
A recent article in the New York Times presented a gloomy picture of the situation for cancer trials in the USA. It described how only 3 per cent of US cancer patients take part in trials, discussed the fact that doctors are reluctant to enrol patients because they lose money, and suggested that the designs of many of the trials are poor.
Added together, the various types of cancer account for an eighth of all deaths worldwide. This is more than malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis put together, according to the International Union Against Cancer (UICC).
Today on World Cancer Day, the UICC is launching a new campaign , “Cancer can be prevented too“, to highlight the fact that a significant proportion of cancer cases in the future could be prevented if people take simple steps to change their lifestyles now.
At Cancer Research UK, we’re strongly supporting this campaign. On our website you can find a wealth of information about how lifestyle and cancer risk are connected, and what you can do if you want to reduce the risk of cancer:
Research into cancer changes lives. But turning a discovery made in the lab into something that can benefit patients is a long and sometimes difficult process.
While some problems in research are technical, others centre on communication. And it’s not only when cancer hits the headlines that communication is important. As research changes our understanding of cancer, communication between scientists, doctors, policymakers and the public about the implications of new discoveries is absolutely vital.
Last month a conference at the British Library explored some of the problems in communicating cancer research, and ways to prevent the key messages from being ‘lost in translation’. Read on to find out about some of the ideas that came up, and you can also hear from the speakers in this video:
The Bill seeks to prevent under-18s from using sunbeds, as well as opening the door to salons being compelled to provide accurate health information and prohibit unstaffed sunbed salons.
During the reading, Julie outlined why this Bill was needed, the evidence base behind it and also referred to research we’ve commissioned on sunbed use by young people. Julie was supported by long-term sunbeds campaigner Sian James, who spoke movingly about the experiences in her constituency of unstaffed sunbed salons.
There was a lively debate, and the Bill achieved warm cross-party support, with the Government’s Public Health Minister Gillian Merron congratulating Julie on the Bill and highlighting our press launch – previously featured on this blog.
No MPs opposed the Bill, and therefore it now passes to the next stage, the Committee Stage, without a vote.
What happens next?
The Committee Stage involves a small group of cross-party MPs, who over several meetings will look through the Bill line by line, and discuss its implications in detail.
The Bill will then have its Third Reading/Report Stage in the House of Commons, before being sent to the Lords for their approval.
Owing to the forthcoming general election, the timings are incredibly tight. Hence we’re calling on the Government to make time for the Sunbeds Bill to be properly debated and passed before the election is called.
Click on the image to listen to the latest podcast
In the February podcast we find out how scientists may have found an unexpected use for so-called “junk” DNA, and discover how many cases of cervical cancer could be prevented by the HPV vaccination programme.
As the weather stays grey and cold, it may be tempting to hop on a sunbed. But using sunbeds – especially when young – can increase the risk of skin cancer. We’ve got important news about the progress of a private member’s bill to ban sunbed use for under-18s.
And in case you’re tempted to turn to the bottle to get through the winter gloom, we also bring you a special report on a new campaign from the Department of Health to highlight the health risks of alcohol.
You can listen to the podcast through this player:
Posted by Kat Arney 
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