Spotlight On: Cancer Cluster
Researchers are trying to reduce the risk of cancer and improve diagnosis, treatments, and survivorship through our Cancer Cluster.
1 in 2 people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime. The North West has the second highest cancer incidence in England and includes 11 of the country’s most deprived areas with higher than average rates of cancer.
In this series, we are shining a Spotlight On the range and impact of the cutting-edge research here at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).
Watch the film below to find out how Manchester BRC’s inclusive and proactive cancer research is improving patient outcomes.
Cancer
Our 4 Cancer Themes span the patient journey, from risk through to survivorship:
Research shows 40% of cancers are preventable and most could be detected earlier. Our vision is to reduce cancer burden across society, especially in underserved communities, by implementing prevention and early detection strategies which offer the best chance of cancer cure and reduce health complications and healthcare costs associated with radical treatment.
Cancer precision medicine means using information about the type of cancer a patient has and their characteristics to help with diagnosis and treatment. We aim to improve patient outcomes by expanding precision medicine national and digital clinical trials, personalising immunotherapy and preventing treatment resistance.
Radiotherapy is the most important non-surgical treatment, received by 50-60% of cancer patients. Our aim is to enhance and personalise advanced radiotherapy techniques to increase survival rates whilst reducing side effects.
More than 300,000 people in the North West will be living with and beyond the short and long-term consequences of cancer by 2030. Our ambition is to provide integrated care using follow-up strategies after cancer treatment to reduce the risk of heart problems, bone fractures, cancer recurrence or second cancers.
Coming next
Next time, we will be continuing with our Cluster model and shining a Spotlight On the Disease Complexity and Multi-morbidity Cluster.
Follow Manchester BRC on X/Twitter and LinkedIn to keep updated with the series.
Watch our Inflammation Cluster and High-burden Under-researched Conditions Cluster videos now.
Our themes and clusters
Our 13 research themes collaborate in 4 Clusters, to enhance partnership working and cover a wider geographical reach, so we can:
- Focus on inflammation – a process common to conditions of the joints, chest, heart, blood vessels and skin
- Find ways to detect cancer early – tailor treatments to the individual, improve radiotherapy and care for those living with and beyond cancer
- Shine a light on sometimes overlooked areas – such as hearing and deafness, mental health and rare genetic conditions.
- Understand disease complexity – using a variety of new methods to better diagnose and treat patients.
The 4 Clusters are:
Cancer (prevention and early detection, advanced radiotherapy, precision medicine, living with and beyond cancer),
Inflammation (rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease, respiratory medicine, dermatology, integrative cardiovascular medicine),
High-burden Under-researched Conditions (hearing health, mental health, rare conditions)
Disease Complexity and Multi-morbidity (next generation phenotyping and diagnostics, next generation therapeutics).