Donate to cancernet.co.uk and our research program

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Why is money needed

Cancernet.co.uk is supported entirely by sponsors, donations and a small income from Google ads. It needs approximately £4000 a year to run and then provides a completely free information service to the 20,000 people who visit it each week. 
The pages are designed to be printed out and inserted into hand held files given to patients in a number of UK hospitals after their diagnosis. This ensures the information is accurate and relevant to that individual patients. The doctors, other medical staff and volunteers do do accept any payment for their professional input.

Unlike other information organisations cancernet-UK does not have high administration cost meaning that your donation will go directly to the benefit of its users.

Supporting local cancer research - The vast majority of patients in Britain are seen in smaller cancer units. The vast majority of these patients are not entered into any sort of clinical trial. It is only through well-conducted clinical trials that our knowledge of the best treatment approach will be acquired. The Primrose Oncology Research Unit  has a 12 year track record as a major contributor to national studies. It also designs it own clinically orientated clinical studies which have not only helped to produce improvements for local patients they have been presented and used nationally and internationally -see list of publications. 

Mexican shanty towns - Following a link made between Bedford and the largest community cancer Hospital in Mexico Cancernet has also been translated into Spanish to enable poorer Mexicans to receive leaflets  about their cancer treatments free of charge. They will also be sending students from Mexico to gain experience on patients information.

via pay pal.  Alternatively contact Madeleine Williams, Research Manager. The Primrose Research Unit, Bedford Hospital. Bedford. MK42 8DJ.

What’s going on in the Primrose Oncology Research Unit?

The research department based at Bedford Hospital, is lead by Prof. Robert Thomas and staffed by Madeleine Williams, Research Manager, and Julie Gordon, Research Nurse. All members of the oncology team, however, are encouraged to take part in the extensive ongoing research program.  

Strong academic links have been established with Cranfield University including a Visiting Professorship for Robert Thomas, joint supervision of a PhD student, Nichola Davies, teaching on the post graduate medicine course, and collaboration in a number of research projects. This has resulted in the publication of four medical papers over the last year alone and subjects ranging from health economics to lifestyle and quality of life after a diagnosis of cancer.

For example, working with John Glen, a senior economist at Cranfield, the research team has determined the cost of treating patients with relapsed breast cancer, and developed novel ways to calculate whether new and often more expensive therapies, are cost effective or not. The data collected during this study has been used to develop the UK ’s first completed database of breast cancer relapse information. This work has already been presented at the 10^th Nottingham International Breast Cancer Conference 2007 and the 14^th ECCO Conference, Barcelona , 2007, and there are plans to present this further once the analysis has been completed.

In another study, in collaboration with Charles Marshall from Cranfield and Professor Leslie Walker, Institute of Rehabilitation , Hull University , 183 patients with breast cancer were evaluated. Their physical and psychological response to different hormones proved valuable information on which drugs suit one person and not another. This work in various forms has been presented in the World’s largest Breast Cancer Conference, San Antonio, Texas, USA, the ESMO Conference Istanbul 2006, the ECCO conference Barcelona 2007, the Nottingham International Breast Cancer Conference 2007 as well as symposiums in Brazil , Mexico and Greece .

Academic links continue with Addenbrooke’s Hospital and Cambridge University. Bedford had a particularly strong role in the teaching of medical students in the year 2007 with Dr Ramesh Bulusu winning “Teacher of the Year” again and Robert Thomas in third place out of the 40 or so teachers in the oncology team.

Other key areas of research at the Primrose unit include the ongoing patient’s information programme and more recently a number of lifestyle and cancer projects. One study, recently completed, evaluated whether lifestyle, plus a compound containing an aspirin-like drug, influenced the progression of prostate cancer was adopted by the National trials portfolio. The studies on lifestyle and information prompted the development of a number of information videos now distributed nationally by Cancerbackup and a website, www.cancernet.co.uk, which has proved useful to both health professionals and patients. Alongside information on drugs and therapies, the website also offers advice on exercise, diet and self-help advice which our patients have reported to find helpful. The site has now been translated into Spanish and forms the basis of the Mexican National cancer information website.

The research unit has published eight papers in the last 2 years alone on the background of numerous abstracts and presentations and these efforts were recognised with Professor Thomas award of the British Oncology Association “Oncologist of the Year” 2006/7. The unit had already one innovation team of the year and the Hospital Doctor magazine Doctor of the year 2000.

In 2008 the main focus of research will be the evaluation of a lifestyle toolbox to help patients recover after the ups and downs of their cancer treatments. This has been made possible by the considerable efforts of Mr Brain Woodrow, the Panacea Society and other organisations and individuals who have generously donated their hard earned cash - We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who have made research possible in the Primrose Unit through financial donations, not only for the Primrose building but the ongoing research costs.

Further general information Your doctors and specialist nurses are in an ideal position to give you relevant information on your disease and treatment as they know your individual circumstances. Cancerbackup has a help line (0808 800 1234) and a prize winning video available in English, Italian, Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati & Hindi explaining Radiotherapy & Chemotherapy. Cancernet.co.uk has over 500 pages describing cancer, its management, practical tips and tool which patients, their carers and their doctors have found helpful during the cancer journey.