Revealed: More of us are beating cancer in Sussex

The figures were revealed to mark today’s World Cancer Day, which aims to raise greater awareness of the disease and boost funds for charities.

Every year, around 44,500 people are diagnosed with cancer across the region.

In 2003, 303 in every 100,000 people died from the disease but improvements in science have led to a drop over the following ten years to 272 people per 100,000.

However some parts of the county continue to have higher levels of cancer and cancer-related deaths than others.

Brighton and Hove director of public health, Tom Scanlon, said a great deal of work was being carried out in the city to combat the disease but there was a lot more that needed to be done.

He said: “We have been successful in bringing cancer mortality rates down, but overall rates are still worse than in many other parts of the country.

“One-year survival rates for breast, bowel and lung cancers are worse, and the percentage of cancers diagnosed early is lower than average.

“If these outcomes are to be improved, we need to improve education and awareness and increase early presentation and diagnosis.

“We also need to do more to tackle risk factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption and low levels of physical activity.”

Rates in Brighton and Hove are above the national average, with the disease affecting 636 people per 100,000 of the population compared to 608 for England.

This is a higher rate than anywhere else in the county, with areas including Worthing, Mid Sussex, Lewes and Hastings all reporting lower than average results.

Overall deaths from cancer in the city are also higher than average, with a rate of 312 per 100,000 of the population, compared to 285 for the country as a whole.

Dr Scanlon said the city council’s public health team was working with Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group on a five year improvement plan.

Programmes already running in the city include an Albion in the Community campaign to increase uptake of bowel cancer screening and also targeting lung and ski cancer.

Research has proved to be the key factor in reducing the number of lives lost to cancer, with improved knowledge about preventing the disease, surgical techniques, precisely targeted radiotherapy and more effective drugs all boosting the outcome for patients.

The Genome Damage and Stability Centre at the University of Sussex is carrying out studies into the causes and treatment of cancer.

Mark O’Driscoll, Professor of Human Molecular Genetics, said: “What we are trying to do here is find the Achilles heel of cancer, without killing the person being treated."

Charities are today using World Cancer Day to raise awareness and also highlight the importance of research into the causes and treatment of the disease.

They are Cancer Research UK. Breast Cancer Care, Anthony Nolan and the Movember Foundation.

The campaign is backed by celebrities including Ant and Dec, Barbara Windsor and Nicole Scherzinger.

A Cancer Research UK spokeswoman said: "It is important to remember that even though the death rates are falling, the overall number of people dying from cancer is expected to increase. This is because the population is growing and more of us are living longer.

“Too many people are still being diagnosed with and dying from cancer, not just here in Sussex and the south east, but across the UK and around the globe.

“World Cancer Day provides an opportunity for everyone to ‘band together’ for this one special day and show that united we can beat cancer sooner.

“Thanks to research more people are surviving cancer than ever – but there is still a great deal of work to be done to ensure that more families can stay together for longer."

UNIVERSITY HELPS WITH VITAL WORK

CANCER Research UK funding is enabling a group of scientists at the University of Sussex to work on ways to give many more people a better chance of beating the disease.

The Genome Damage and Stability Centre investigates how cells respond when their DNA is damaged and how this can lead to cancer and other diseases.

They also look at how DNA damage can be utilised and exploited in killing cancer cells. Here Mark O’Driscoll, professor of Human Molecular Genetics at the centre, answers questions about its work.

What work is carried out at the centre?
The scientists investigate how cells respond when their DNA is damaged and how this can lead to cancer and other diseases. They also look at how DNA damage can be exploited in killing cancer cells.

What are they trying to do?
They are trying to find the Achilles heel of cancer; to selectively kill the cancer with minimal impact on the person being treated. It is about providing more personal medicine and a more targeted approach.

How do cancer drugs work? 
DNA contains the “instruction manual” for cells. If there is any damage to DNA, highly specialised molecules help cells repair the damage or cause the cell to die if the damage is too severe. Some cancer drugs work by taking advantage of this – they directly damage and break the DNA and/or interfere with the normal repair process so cancer cells accumulate toxic levels of DNA damage and ultimately die. 

So what can go wrong? 
Unfortunately the effects of many anti-cancer drugs can be over-powered or circumvented in cancer cells. This means these cells stay alive and continue to divide, spread and disrupt the normal functions of the body. The various teams in the centre, together with colleagues in the Sussex Drug Discovery Centre, are developing approaches to stop this from happening.

Why is this research needed? 
When people talk about finding a cure for cancer, it’s important to appreciate that it is not just one disease. There are more than 200 different types of cancer and on top of that, everyone’s DNA is different. There is a growing realisation that there is no one-size fits all when it comes to treating cancer. Enormous progress has been made in the last 40 years. There have been huge advances in treating children’s cancers – today almost three quarters of children survive, compared with around a quarter in the 1960s. Some male cancers like testicular and prostate are now curable or at least controllable. Sadly the same cannot be said for others like pancreatic or brain cancers. The Holy Grail of cancer therapy is to make treatments more specific to the tumour so you don’t damage other parts of the body. For example, if you tinker with brain cells and kill them, they don’t come back.

How are these experiments carried out? 
Work is largely conducted on human cells, tissues and even yeast, which is a powerful and basic research tool. No animals are used for drug work in the centre’s labs.

How long does it take to create new drugs?
Developing effective drugs is time consuming – it can take 20 years from bench to bedside. That process is horrifically expensive. We are talking big, big money. Nothing is cheap when you are working with and manipulating human cells to develop credible anti-cancer therapies.

How can people help support the centre?
Last year Cancer Research UK spent nearly £2 million on laboratory and clinical research at the centre, which is based at the University of Sussex. The charity receives no government funding so it has to come from the public. It’s important work that helps save lives. Quite simply, Without money raised by Cancer Research UK our supporters, my lab would not exist.

IT IS VITAL TO GET SYMPTOMS CHECKED EARLY BY YOUR GP

MOST of us have been affected by cancer at some point in our lives, either directly or through a family member, loved one, friend or colleague.

A diagnosis is devastating but the good news is that it is no longer always the death sentence it might have been 50 years ago.

New figures show half of the people who develop cancer are now surviving, thanks to the efforts of dedicated researchers, scientists and medics who are battling to take control of this deadly disease.

They are slowly gaining the upper hand but there is still a tremendous way to go and in the meantime there are many ways people can help.

This can be fundraising by taking part in a Cancer Research UK Race for Life event, joining in with a Breast Cancer Care pink ribbon walk or growing a moustache in November for Movember.

Alternatively they can potentially help save the life of a complete stranger by signing up to Anthony Nolan’s bone marrow register.

One of the most important factors in dealing with cancer is early diagnosis, which is why it is absolutely vital people get themselves checked out if they have symptoms they are worried about.

It is all too easy to bury your head in the sand and ignore the symptoms, whether it is changes in the breast, unnatural bleeding or going to the toilet more often than before.

It is more likely that there is no cancer and there will be nothing to worry about, but in the cases where there is a problem, getting things sorted out sooner rather than later is key.

Research has shown women are more likely than men to go and see their GP, but this is not a time for perceived stoicism or a hope the symptoms will go away of their own accord.

The sooner people take action, the greater their chances of survival.