Taunton: help beat cancer by funding groundbreaking clinical trials

Project Update - February 2016 Thanks to everyone who has donated and fundraised for this project, an incredible £70,000 has been raised! The target has now been extended to £130,000 to fund even more groundbreaking research in Taunton. Clinical trials for people in Taunton We want to give people all over the UK – including in Taunton – the chance to take part in clinical trials that are recruiting in local hospitals. Every year, around 3,300 people in Somerset are diagnosed with cancer, and some of them are taking part in the RADICALS and ICON8 trials. These brave people are getting the chance to try the most cutting-edge treatments, while contributing to advances in cancer research. The RADICALS trial Men with early stage prostate cancer are usually treated with surgery to remove the affected area. Dr Chris Parker is determined to find out the best way to stop the disease returning after surgery, while also minimising the risk of long-term side effects from treatment. At the moment, doctors carefully monitor men recovering from surgery and begin follow-up treatment only if the disease shows signs of returning. But Dr Parker is leading a clinical trial called RADICALS to investigate whether this approach could be improved if treatment begins immediately after surgery, using radiotherapy to kill off any remaining cancer cells. This research has the potential to change the way men with prostate cancer are treated, and create a brighter future for those affected by the disease. The ICON8 trial Sadly, most women with advanced ovarian cancer will not survive their disease. Dr Andrew Clamp is leading a clinical trial called ICON8 that he hopes will result in more effective and kinder treatments to improve survival and reduce side-effects. Doctors normally treat ovarian cancer with surgery and chemotherapy. Traditionally, chemotherapy has been given in large doses, once every few weeks. But Dr Clamp is among a growing number of scientists who think that there might be a better way. He is testing if smaller doses of drugs, given more often, may be better at fighting cancer, and reduce the unpleasant and potentially serious side effects that women can often experience. As advanced ovarian cancer is often difficult to treat successfully, trials like this are crucial to improve survival and quality of life for women with the disease. The difference you can make Clinical trials are the vital final stage of cancer research. But clinical trials are extremely expensive, and we can't fund them without help from people like you. £130,000 raised here will support our scientists' pioneering work, helping new treatments become a reality. Please donate today, and help us fund trials like RADICALS and ICON8, to benefit people with cancer in Somerset and beyond.