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Lancaster University’s Health Innovation Campus has assembled an expert working group for a major cancer prevalence survey in the region, to help improve early detection and save lives.
Senior scholar Dr Luigi Sedda said the majority of previous studies viewed cancers as disjoint entities, but identifying the presence of more cancers in the same area may shed light on more causes. wide of the disease.
The new study – funded by a £ 170,000 grant to North West Cancer Research – will analyze and map different factors, including environmental, social and economic factors and their impact on cancer diagnosis. The researchers will take advantage of a large dataset from comparable patients in the region, which will provide doctors with vital information to help diagnose and treat the disease.
This is a very important study because it could give us a detailed picture of the correlations between potential causes and common types of cancer in our region, at the micro and macro levels.
In North Lancashire and South Cumbria we have a pretty unique situation where most patients report to one large primary care provider, so the data for the whole region is really accessible and uses all same measures – I hope you can see the trends more clearly, around which new interventions can be designed. “
Dr Luigi Sedda, Lancaster University School of Medicine
The project is supported by the Lancashire Director of Public Health Dr Sakthi Karunanithi and the Lancashire Healthier and the South Cumbria Population Health Clinical Director Dr Andy Knox. Importantly, he is also supported by Lancashire University Hospitals Consulting Oncologist Professor Alison Birtle.
Once the research phase of the project is complete, the team will create a range of mapping tools that will allow stakeholders and members of the public to review the results in a visually accessible format.
It is hoped that the project and its methodology will then be disseminated to other parts of the UK via the team’s various networks, thus increasing its impact nationally.
Dr Sherry Kothari, Director of the Health Innovation Campus, said: “This project is exactly what the Health Innovation Campus was designed to do: bring together experts to examine important health issues and find solutions with significant societal impact.
“North West Cancer Research was one of the first organizations to move into our new building because they understand the importance of this type of collaboration.
“My team was able to bring them together with Luigi and his colleagues, as well as call on NHS partners who can provide the data to enable this type of detailed study to be carried out.
“We are delighted that the funding has been awarded and we look forward to seeing how the project is helping to improve our understanding of some correlations between the causes of cancer in our region – and how we can use its results to diagnose cancer at a stage. early in order to save lives. while inspiring similar research to be undertaken across the country. “
In addition to exploring existing health data, the project will also use researchers from John Moores University in Liverpool to conduct interviews and collect first-person accounts of patient experiences.
Alastair Richards, CEO of North West Cancer Research, said: “We are delighted that this important project is underway to help us understand cancer and its causes in our region. In Lancashire and Cumbria there are high levels of cancer incidence and we to understand why will allow the NHS, Public Health, North West Cancer Research and others to make a difference in the lives of people who live in the area. “
Dr Andy Knox, Clinical Director of Population Health at the Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System, added: “This is such an important research project and it is a privilege to participate in it. Cancer affects all of our lives in one way or another. by working with our communities and through our partnerships, we want to understand how we can make a real difference, especially with those who are currently most at risk. “
Professor Alison Birtle, Consultant Oncologist at Lancashire University Hospitals, said: ‘There are huge areas of unmet health need in our local population and this study will provide insight into how we can improve detection, awareness and treatment of cancers. “
The Health Innovation Campus was supported by funding from the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Growth Deal, as well as by the European Regional Development Fund.
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