Today, February 4th, isWorld Cancer Day and we are thrilled to announce the establishment of the very first All-Ireland Cancer Network (AllCaN).
The AllCaN Grant Programme was created as part of Breakthrough’s new 5-year research strategy 'Making More Survivors', to support and facilitate knowledge sharing between exemplary teams in institutions across the island of Ireland, who are taking on less survivable cancers. Successful awardees receive a €1 million investment that will see researchers, clinicians, patients, and industry work together to significantly improve Irish cancer survival rates.
Launching today, the first of these AllCaN Grants will focus on oesophageal cancer, funding innovative research to improve early detection and outcomes for patients with, or at risk of, developing the disease. Oesophageal Cancer is one of the biggest cancer challenges with a 5-year survival rate of just 24% in the Republic of Ireland and only 19% in Northern Ireland.
Breakthrough awarded this €1 million Oesophageal AllCaN Programme grant to an all-Ireland network led by Prof. Jacintha O’Sullivan (Trinity St James’s Cancer Institute, TSJCI), co-led by Prof. Helen Coleman (Queen’s University Belfast) and Prof. Juliette Hussey (TSJCI). This collaboration links six major academic institutions across the island of Ireland, along with their associated hospitals, the National Cancer Control Programme and the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.
This team share decades of collective experience in Oesophageal Cancer and Barrett’s oesophagus. People with Barrett’s oesophagus have biological changes in their food pipe (oesophagus), which puts them at a higher risk of developing Oesophageal Cancer. Therefore, identification of, and improved treatments for people with Oesophageal Cancer and Barrett’s oesophagus could significantly control the progression of the disease.
This unique cross-border collaboration of researchers will enable the first-time sharing of data from the Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland Barrett’s oesophagus registries of over 34,000 patients. It will make this joint registry one of the largest platforms available worldwide for studying this disease. This approach will help ensure that discoveries that could help identify people at risk of progressing to Oesophageal Cancer, or who will benefit from a particular treatment, progress quicker into the clinic.
Commenting at the launch......
Prof. Jacintha O’Sullivan, Professor in Translational Oncology, Trinity College Dublin and Education Lead, Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute at St James’s Hospital, who is leading AllCaN said,
“The new all-island collaborative structure will provide research-led innovation addressing key gaps in knowledge across the oesophageal cancer patient’s journey from cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment to survivorship. This will lead to new cancer prevention strategies, lifestyle interventions and identify those at risk of disease progression and identify new treatment approaches for these patients.”
John Clarke, who was diagnosed with Barrett’s oesophagus at age 33 and is a Public Patient Involvement (PPI) representative for AllCaN spoke about the possibilities of an all-Ireland Barrett’s oesophagus registry commenting,
“I am unlucky to have Barrett's oesophagus, but I am lucky to know I have it. Awareness is the key with any condition. The sooner found the better. To have an all-Ireland cancer register is unbelievable. The possibilities it opens are endless. Imagine the day we can tell everyone with oesophageal cancer that there’s a lifestyle plan or treatment that will contain and control the disease and enable them to live with it and improve their quality of life.”
Commenting on this announcementProf. Helen Coleman, Lead of the Cancer Epidemiology Research Group at Queen's University Belfast and Deputy Director of the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry said,
“This investment from Breakthrough Cancer Research represents an exciting and very necessary catalyst. The charity's innovative vision will bring together world-class infrastructure, research teams and enable training of the next generation of researchers in oesophageal cancer prevention from institutions across the island of Ireland, for the first time. Given that the UK and Ireland have the highest incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma worldwide, we have genuine potential to identify new factors that could reduce the risk of oesophageal cancer for future generations and improve quality of life and wellbeing for thousands.”
AllCaN is a game changer for low survival cancer research on the island of Ireland. This inaugural project will bring everyone working on, or living with, oesophageal cancer in Ireland together to take on the key challenges, with the aim of doubling survival in 20 years.
Oesophageal Cancer Signs & Symptoms
It is important that we are aware of the signs and symptoms of Oesophageal Cancer to help detect it in its early stages. Common signs and symptoms are outlined in our video below. These symptoms can be caused by other conditions, but it is important to get checked by your GP if you are experiencing them for 3 weeks or more.
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