Two-thirds of cancer research funded by one charity

TWO-THIRDS OF all cancer research in Yorkshire and the Humber is funded by a single charity, new figures show.

Yorkshire Cancer Research funded 65 per cent of all recruitment to clinical trials for cancer in the region during 2019/20, the National Institute for Health Research found.

The trials created 9,000 opportunities for people to take part in groundbreaking research, including an investigation into the feasibility of a screening programme for lung cancer and a study of people living with bladder cancer.

Yorkshire ranked second out of 15 local Clinical Research Networks in England for the number of people taking part in clinical trials.

The charity’s chief executive, Dr Kathryn Scott, said: “We aim to bring more clinical trials to Yorkshire so people in our region can be among the first to receive access to pioneering treatments and innovative ways to diagnose cancer.

“These new figures show that the work we fund is making a real impact. Yorkshire is at the forefront of cancer research and we are incredibly grateful to those affected by cancer for taking part in these studies and to the charity’s supporters for making this possible.”

The report lists Leeds Lung Health Check, a pioneering lung screening programme funded by the Harrogate-based charity, as the third largest cancer clinical trial in England.

In February, the trial had screened 4,000 people for signs of lung cancer. More than 80 cancers had been diagnosed as a result, with the majority found at an early stage. The programme, in partnership with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the University of Leeds and Leeds Council, aims to test screening in community settings.