Prof Stephen Duffy

Evaluating screening and uncovering risk factors

Professor Stephen Duffy is a renowned expert on cancer screening and epidemiology (the study of disease in large populations).

He and his team evaluatecancer screening programmes to see how effective they are. They are also investigating the causes and risk factors for different types of cancer.

Breast cancer screening

Professor Duffy’s team analyses the effectiveness of different breast screening methods. In 2003, they showed that breast screening by mammography does indeed reduce the death rate from breast cancer.

Professor Duffy was also involved in research showing that screening reduces the rates of mastectomy. This is thought to be because screening usually detects cancers earlier, when they are small and can often be excised without removing the whole breast.

In 2006, Professor Duffy, working with colleagues from across the UK, showed that using computers to help read mammograms could reduce the workload of the radiographers.

The team is also analysing studies to minimise side-effects of surgery for breast cancer.

Lung cancer risk

Currently, Professor Duffy and his team are identifying things that can increase a person’s risk of developing lung cancer. Although smoking is known to be the major cause of lung cancer, other factors may be involved.

By comparing a large group of people with lung cancer to a large group without the disease, Professor Duffy and his team hope to uncover possible causes of lung cancer. They will then use this information to produce a ‘model’ that could be used to predict a person’s risk of developing the disease.

Individuals found to be at high risk could then be monitored for any early signs of cancer or possibly treated to reduce the risk of the cancer developing in the first place.

Professor Duffy’s team has already found some interesting results from their research. For example, they have shown that people who have a first-degree relative (e.g. a parent or child) that has been diagnosed with lung cancer before the age of 60, have an increased chance of developing the disease themselves. This suggests that there may be inherited gene mutations involved in the development of some lung cancers.