Cancer Research

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Dear Colleague,

Welcome to your May 2024 Cancer Research UK Early Diagnosis newsletter.

What a busy and exciting start to the year it’s been! A few of us were lucky enough to attend this year’s Cancer and Primary Care Research International Network (CA-PRI) conference in Melbourne, Australia. It was a fantastic opportunity to hear the latest research from this international community and be able to build and strengthen networks with those who are also passionate about driving evidence-based action.

There are only two weeks to go to our own Cancer Research UK Early Diagnosis Conference. We’re looking forward to welcoming more than 300 delegates to Birmingham on 4-5 June. Our exciting programme on this year’s theme, Driving Evidence into Practice, is available to download here and on our website. We’ll be sharing key takeaways and outputs from the conference after the event. In the meantime, you can follow us on X (formerly Twitter) for the latest news and updates from the conference itself.

We continue to drive forward a range of other early diagnosis initiatives. Keep reading for news on CRUK’s Test, Evidence, Transition Programme, to access new resources and sign our ‘Longer, better lives’ government petition.

Best wishes,
Sam Harrison and the Strategic Evidence team

CRUK launches Phase 2 of the Test, Evidence, Transition Programme

Our Evidence & Implementation Department has launched the second phase of the Test, Evidence, Transition (TET) Programme. TET supports health systems to accelerate the adoption of innovations and reduce inequalities in access.

Supported by the Bowelbabe Fund, Phase 2 will implement and evaluate the most promising innovations that seek to improve bowel cancer screening, surveillance, and symptomatic service delivery. We’ve granted funding to five NHS System Delivery Teams in the following sites:

● Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust
● NHS Wessex Cancer Alliance
● NHS Borders
● NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde
● Bowel Screening Wales, Public Health Wales

These teams will co-design and evaluate chosen innovations in collaboration with CRUK and academic partners from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Stay tuned for updates. For more information, contact Luke Weaver, TET Programme Engagement Officer.

Contact Luke Weaver

Bowel cancer surveillance and Lynch syndrome

The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme in England has taken over responsibility for inviting people with Lynch syndrome for surveillance colonoscopies. Lynch syndrome carriers will be invited every two years to help reduce their risk of bowel cancer, heightened by inherited faults in specific genes. Their family members can also be tested for Lynch syndrome. NICE also advises that people with Lynch syndrome take a daily aspirin to reduce their bowel cancer risk. Download NICE’s patient FAQs on Lynch syndrome and aspirin here. Visit our Bowel cancer screening hub for more information on bowel cancer screening eligibility.

Visit our Bowel cancer screening hub

Colon capsule endoscopy: where are we now?

Colon capsule endoscopy (CCE) has the potential to improve patient experience and support endoscopy capacity in UK health systems. Visit our new CCE webpage to read about how it works, the pilots taking place across the UK to assess CCE as an initial investigation for people at risk of bowel cancer, and what the future holds for this technology.

Read about CCE

Access practical safety netting resources

Safety netting plays a key role in the timely management of suspected cancer, particularly when managing patients with vague or non-specific symptoms. That’s why we’ve published a new Safety netting summary and complementary Safety netting flow chart. These resources provide primary care professionals with a quick, practical refresher of key safety netting advice and patient communication tips. Download both resources and read more on this topic via our Safety netting webpage.

Visit the Safety netting webpage

Resources to support the earlier diagnosis of lung cancer

Lung cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in the UK and the most common cause of cancer death. Early diagnosis is key to improving outcomes, but this can be a challenge. We’ve created a new health professional webpage that’s dedicated to supporting the earlier detection of lung cancer. It provides information, graphics and downloadable guides for GPs in each nation to help support the timely recognition of lung cancer in primary care.

Support our call for longer, better lives

We need the next government to act on cancer. That’s why we’ve launched a petition urging our future leaders to make cancer a priority and commit to the initiatives outlined in our policy report, ‘Longer, better lives: A manifesto for cancer research and care’. It details five crucial missions the government must take forward – including driving earlier diagnosis – to transform UK cancer survival so it’s amongst the best in the world. Join us by adding your name to the petition.

Sign the petition

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Together we are beating cancer

Together we are
beating cancer