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Leeds

A Cancer Research UK Clinical Centre

The Cancer Research UK Clinical Centre, based at St James's University Hospital is home to teams investigating many different areas of cancer research. In partnership with the NHS and the University of Leeds, the key goal of the Centre is to bridge the gap between scientists and patients. This is achieved by using the knowledge gained from basic laboratory research to develop new treatments for cancer.

The Centre's director, Professor Peter Selby, heads the Division of Cancer Medicine Research. Here, research teams are working to develop new treatments for a wide range of cancers, including bladder and kidney cancers, lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system) and melanoma (a type of skin cancer).

Current research projects at the Centre include:

• Identifying the genes that cause bladder cancer.
• Finding new markers for kidney cancer that can be used to help detect and treat the disease.
• Developing vaccines that stimulate the body's immune system to attack melanoma cells.

Doctors at the Centre are also carrying out a wide range of clinical trials to evaluate the latest treatments in patients. These include trials of treatment for stomach, kidney, breast, ovarian, melanoma and lung cancers and lymphoma.

Here are some examples:

• Professor Matt Seymour is co-ordinating two trials to improve the way we treat patients with advanced bowel cancer. One trial, called FOCUS-2, aims to discover if low levels of chemotherapy are effective in treating patients who can't tolerate higher doses. The other trial, PICCOLO, is looking at whether using different combinations of new, targeted therapies will offer hope to patients who have become resistant to conventional chemotherapy drugs.
• Patients with invasive bladder cancer are usually treated using surgery or radiotherapy. But the cancer can sometimes return after this treatment. Researchers in Leeds are investigating whether chemotherapy after surgery will make the treatment more effective. They are also looking at when the chemotherapy should be given – immediately after surgery or when the cancer has returned.

Monitoring patient well-being

Cancer Research UK-funded scientists are also concerned about the emotional and social impact of cancer on both patients and their families. In the Psychosocial Oncology Group at the Centre, Dr Galina Velikova is trying to find ways to evaluate how well patients and their families cope with the disease.

Dr Velikova is assessing a computer touch-screen system that collects information about a patient's quality of life. This system will eventually be used by doctors to monitor a patients' well-being during the course of diagnosis and treatment.

Understanding how our genes influence our cancer risk

Scientists and doctors in the Centre's Division of Genetic Epidemiology, directed by Professor Tim Bishop, are particularly interested in how the combination of our genes and lifestyle influence our chances of developing cancer. For example, they have shown that people who inherit genes that increase their risk of developing melanoma can reduce this risk by protecting themselves against the sun.

Research here focuses on breast, bowel, prostate and testicular cancers, and melanoma. Studies include:

• Finding new genes that increase the chances of developing these cancers.
• Understanding how diet and genes interact to cause bowel cancer
• Finding out what else affects the breast cancer risk of women who have faulty BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes.

The National Cancer Research Network

The National Cancer Research Network (NCRN) is co-ordinated from Leeds. It provides the infrastructure that is needed to support clinical trials of cancer treatments throughout the country. The NCRN was established by the Department of Health in 2001. And it is already helping organisations like Cancer Research UK, to run more trials and recruit patients onto them faster.

The work of the NCRN is a huge asset to Cancer Research UK, as we fund the majority of non-commercial, publicly funded cancer trials in the UK. Since the NCRN was established, the number of cancer patients taking part in clinical trials has tripled.

Improving treatment of children's cancer

Childhood cancer is quite rare, affecting around 1 in 500 children under the age of 15 in Britain. The small numbers of patients, particularly those with rare childhood cancers, mean that collaborative clinical trials are essential if treatment is to rapidly improve.

We fund the clinical trials work of the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG). The group co-ordinates the care of virtually all the UK’s children with cancer, ensuring they receive the most up-to-date treatments. Children involved in clinical trials tend to do better and the CCLG has greatly improved recruitment in recent years. The CCLG runs trials at 21 paediatric centres throughout the British Isles, including St James's University Hospital.

Find more of our research in the north of England.