April 2009 podcast transcript

00:00

Kat: In this month's podcast we'll be finding out about cancer research in Northern Ireland, as the charity unveils the third Cancer Research UK Centre, based in Belfast.

Coming up later, we hear about the alarming rise in skin cancer in young women, and how it could be prevented. But first, here's the news with Josephine Querido.

00:59

Nell: Cancer Research UK scientists at the London School of Pharmacy have carried out important research into a new nanoparticle-based cancer treatment. The researchers have been investigating tiny chain-like molecules called dendrimers, which form microscopic nanoparticles when mixed with DNA.

For reasons that aren't entirely clear, these nanoparticles home in on cancer cells in the body, delivering their DNA payload which destroys the tumour. This is known as gene therapy.

Led by Andreas Schatzlein, the scientists used imaging technology to show that the nanoparticles specifically target cancer cells spread throughout the body. Developing highly targeted treatments is important, because they are likely to have fewer side effects than current chemotherapy drugs.

Here's Dr Schatzlein talking about the importance of this new development.

"Selectivity is important for us because current drugs are often riddled with the problem of having side effects, because they're not specific for the cancer.

What is interesting about this is that the nanoparticles that we made are able to get the gene to the tumour - which is remarkable in itself, because that's not easy to achieve – and they get it to the tumour, only the tumour, and not to other tissues.

The key advantage of this is that it will help us to make gene therapy more specific, and therefore give a better chance of not having side effects."

And finally, our Science Update blog has won an award from the Association of Medical Research Charities, in the category of Online Research Information.

The judges commended the quality of the writing, the chatty style, the direct engagement with readers and the myth-busting counter-headline posts in particular.

Currently, nearly 150,000 people have visited the blog since it launched in May 2008.

Kat: You can check out our award-winning Science Update blog at Scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org And if you want find out more about these stories, or get the latest from the charity's scientists, and researchers around the world, then have a look at our News & Resources website.

03:25

Kat: Over the coming years, Cancer Research UK will be launching up to twenty new collaborative cancer centres across the UK. So far, we've seen centres launch in Birmingham and Liverpool, and the next out of the blocks is the Belfast Cancer Research UK Centre.

I spoke to Professor Dennis McCance, director of the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology in Belfast to find out more about what's going on in the city, and why the new centre is important for treatment and research in Northern Ireland.

"For cancer research in Belfast we've always wanted to have an integrated approach to it, having basic science along with our clinical colleagues and treatment of cancer, patients and clinical trials.

I think this centre funding will help us solidify that in a number of different areas, particularly in colorectal cancer, in oesophageal cancer, in breast cancer and also in our research into new ways of treating patients with radiotherapy.

I think it's very important [that this new centre is in Belfast] because we may seem to be an extremity of the UK, but in some areas of cancer research we are driving the effort nationally and internationally, especially in the genomics of cancer, and looking at better ways to diagnose and predict response to treatment. I think we're well recognised world-wide as being one of the leaders in that area.

I think also that the people of Northern Ireland are very generous in their charity giving, and I think it will be a great boost to the people here to know that a lot of the money that they raise is actually coming back and being used locally, but being used locally so that people nationally and internationally can benefit from the research that's being done here.

[In five years time] I would hope that many of the short-term goals would have been fulfilled in three to five years, and some of our mid-term goals, such as our new drug development unit. We have just hired two people into that to join some of our other medicinal chemists, so that's going to be a leading initiative in the mid-term. So within five years that unit should be up and running. And we're hoping to have drugs in the pipeline within those five years."

Kat:You can find out more about our research in Belfast by visiting the News and Resources website.

06:15

Kat: As the clocks go forward, we anticipate longer evenings and sunny days. But while we all need a bit of sunshine in our lives, getting sunburnt can significantly increase the risk of skin cancer, as can using a sunbed.

Every year Cancer Research UK runs a SunSmart campaign, warning of the dangers of overdoing it in the sun and using sunbeds. And the message is as important as ever, with new statistics showing that rates of malignant melanoma – the most dangerous form of skin cancer – are rising alarmingly in young women, as a result of binge-tanning on holiday and increasing sunbed use.

Our reporter Laura Dibb spoke to SunSmart manager Caroline Cerny to find out more.

"Malignant melanoma, which is the most dangerous form of skin cancer, is now the most common cancer affecting women in their twenties. So while women know lots about breast cancer, and cervical cancer at the moment has a very high profile, less is known about skin cancer. But it's actually the cancer that young women are most likely to get.

Skin cancer is almost entirely caused by over-exposure to ultraviolet rays from either the sun or sunbeds. It's very likely that the increase we've seen in foreign holidays and the use of sunbeds over the past few decades are behind this worrying increase.

Neither suntanning or using a sunbed are very good for you, but there are benefits to being out and about in the sunshine. Just a few minutes every day helps us to make vitamin D, and it's nice to be out and about, and feel the sun on our skin.

But sunbeds have no benefits whatsoever. Their UV rays can be ten to fifteen times stronger than the outside sun, and the sort of short intermittent UV exposure that you get on a sunbed is thought to be linked to the development of skin cancer.

Our statisticians have predicted that melanoma will be the fourth most common cancer by 2024, but the good news is that there's plenty that we can be doing to try and reverse thist rend. Skin cancer is highly preventable, and there's lots that people can do to protect themselves from the sun, to reduce their risk of skin cancer, and by avoiding sunbeds.

Enjoying the sun safely is key – making sure that you're well prepared if you're going outside on a sunny summer's day by covering up, wearing sunscreen and trying to spend a bit of time in the shade, and avoiding getting sunburnt at all costs. The other thing to do is avoid sunbeds."

Kat: Using a sunbed before the age of 35 can increase the risk of melanoma by around 75 per cent, and sunbeds are thought to cause around 100 deaths from melanoma every year in the UK.

One woman who blames her skin cancer on sunbeds is Jenna Gurney, who was diagnosed with malignant melanoma when she was just 21, after several years of sunbed use. She shared her story with Laura Dibb.

"The symptoms were I had a mole on my stomach and it just appeared to start flaking, so I noticed there was something wrong with it. But even then I didn't realise what the outcome would be – I didn't realise that it would be skin cancer.

On average I'd say I used sunbeds at least twice a week. I used to go on at 14 minutes a time. I wasn't particularly aware of any dangers. I never used to use any sunscreen – if anything I would use an intensifier cream that I used to apply before I went on the sunbed. My one goal when I was on holiday was to get an even better tan.

[Having skin cancer] has affected me a great deal. I don't use sunbeds at all now, and I'm just more careful when I'm in the sun. I always make sure I use a high factor [sunscreen] and make sure I don't burn.

My advice would be to be careful in the sun, always to use sun protection while sunbathing or even when just going out and about, and not to use sunbeds. I still like to have a tan, but actually I use fake tan now. The products that are out there on the shelves are really good now, and I just apply a fake tan once a week."

Kat:You can find out more about how to enjoy the summer sun safely – assuming we actually get some - at www.sunsmart.org.uk.

11:17

Kat: We've reached the end once more so we hope you've enjoyed this month's podcast. You can keep up to date with all the latest progress in research from our Science Update blog.

And please let us know what you think of this podcast by leaving feedback on the blog, or emailing your comments to podcast@cancer.org.uk.

We'll be back next month with all the latest news from Cancer Research UK, so until then, goodbye!

 

• Credits:
• Presented and produced by Kat Arney
• News by Josephine Querido and Kat Arney
• Original music written and performed by Kat Arney and Henry Scowcroft
• With special thanks to all the participants