Lung cancer: Help fund vital research for better treatments

Last updated: 13/03/2013

Why this research is needed

Lung cancer scientist in labLung cancer is the most common cancer in the world. Around 115 people are diagnosed with the disease every day in the UK, and sadly the majority will lose their lives to the disease.

This makes lung cancer the most common cause of cancer death in the United Kingdom – killing around 96 people every day. But you can help change the odds by supporting our life-saving work.

The impact of our work

Cancer Research UK is a major funder of lung cancer research in the UK. We’re tackling the disease from all angles – from uncovering key changes in lung cancer cells to developing better, kinder treatments to help save more lives.

With your support, we will find a way to beat lung cancer – giving more tomorrows to families all over the UK who are affected by this devastating disease.

 
 
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What research are we doing to beat lung cancer?

We're working hard to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat lung cancer. There are three main forms of the disease - non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for eight out of ten cases, small cell lung cancer (SCLC), and mesothelioma, which is a rare disease affecting the covering of the lungs. We are researching all three types and some of our current research projects include:

LungStar – a better treatment for small cell lung cancer?

Professor Michael Seckl at University College London is on a mission to improve treatment for small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Although chemotherapy can help people with this type of lung cancer, new treatments are urgently needed to help save more lives.

Professor Seckl is running a big clinical trial to test a new way to treat SCLC. He's using drugs called statins, which are already taken by thousands of people in the UK to help lower cholesterol. Research has shown that the drug pravastatin can kill cancer cells in the lab, and the 'LungStar' trial is finding out if patients do better when they're given pravastatin as well as chemotherapy.

If it’s a success, pravastatin and chemotherapy could become a new 'gold standard' treatment for SCLC – helping to give families more precious time together.

Hitting lung cancer cells where it hurts

Research happens in hospitals at patients' bedsides - but it also happens in the lab, where scientists are looking deep within lung cancer cells to understand their strengths and weaknesses.

Professor Jeremy Tavare at the University of Bristol has discovered that many patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have a particular fault in their cancer cells - in a molecule called GSK3. He's found a drug that targets this fault, which was originally designed to treat diabetes - and lab tests show it can stop the faulty cancer cells from growing.

Could this discovery offer a new way to treat lung cancer? That's what Professor Tavare wants to find out - he's testing healthy and cancerous lung cells to see how well the drug works, and investigating exactly how it stops the cancer cells from growing. If he gets good results, this research could lead to a brand new clinical trial testing a new way to treat lung cancer.

The difference you can make

By supporting our lung cancer research, you can be part of our work to find new ways to tackle this disease and make a difference to families in the UK and beyond.

It costs £20,000 to support the running costs for Professor Seckl’s project, from beginning to end. Please donate today and with your support we will be able to bring forward the day when lung cancer is cured.