My Breakthrough
05 JUNE 2008
Royal seal of approval for Breakthrough Breast Cancer’s world-class research unit in Edinburgh
Figures show enough women are diagnosed with breast cancer in Scotland to stand nearly 5 times the height of Ben Nevis*
A pioneering new breast cancer research unit set up by leading UK charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer and the University of Edinburgh will be officially opened today by HRH The Prince of Wales (also known as The Duke of Rothesay while travelling in Scotland), the charity’s Patron. The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit at The University of Edinburgh aims to improve breast cancer treatment and ensure patients are treated in the most appropriate and effective way for their particular type of breast cancer. In Scotland 4,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
It marks Breakthrough Breast Cancer’s commitment to, and expansion of, its work in Scotland. The charity is dedicated to tackling breast cancer through research, campaigning and education and needs to raise at least £25 million a year to support this vital work across the UK. There are many different ways to offer support - find out more here.
The Breakthrough Research Unit, Edinburgh will bring together some of the best Scottish-based scientists and doctors to develop a centre of excellence for world-class breast cancer research. It is based at University of Edinburgh laboratories, within the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, and sited next to the Western General Hospital’s Breast Unit.
The unit’s location will help ensure laboratory results are turned into direct benefits for patients as quickly as possible – a ‘bench to bedside’ approach strongly advocated by Breakthrough Breast Cancer. HRH The Duke of Rothesay will tour the unit accompanied by its director, Professor David Harrison and clinical lead Mr Mike Dixon.
Research at the Breakthrough Research Unit, Edinburgh will focus on improving treatment for hormone-sensitive breast cancer, the most common form of the disease. Women with this type of tumour are usually treated with hormone therapies such as tamoxifen however, not everyone benefits from these treatments and many women experience the problem of drug resistance when their treatment stops working. The aim of the Breakthrough Research Unit, Edinburgh is ultimately to ensure women are treated in the most appropriate and effective way for their particular type of breast cancer, overcoming or avoiding the problem of drug resistance.
Alison Walker, from Edinburgh, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and is a member of Breakthrough’s Campaigns & Advocacy Network. She says;
A pioneering new breast cancer research unit set up by leading UK charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer and the University of Edinburgh will be officially opened today by HRH The Prince of Wales (also known as The Duke of Rothesay while travelling in Scotland), the charity’s Patron. The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit at The University of Edinburgh aims to improve breast cancer treatment and ensure patients are treated in the most appropriate and effective way for their particular type of breast cancer. In Scotland 4,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
It marks Breakthrough Breast Cancer’s commitment to, and expansion of, its work in Scotland. The charity is dedicated to tackling breast cancer through research, campaigning and education and needs to raise at least £25 million a year to support this vital work across the UK. There are many different ways to offer support - find out more here.
The Breakthrough Research Unit, Edinburgh will bring together some of the best Scottish-based scientists and doctors to develop a centre of excellence for world-class breast cancer research. It is based at University of Edinburgh laboratories, within the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, and sited next to the Western General Hospital’s Breast Unit.
The unit’s location will help ensure laboratory results are turned into direct benefits for patients as quickly as possible – a ‘bench to bedside’ approach strongly advocated by Breakthrough Breast Cancer. HRH The Duke of Rothesay will tour the unit accompanied by its director, Professor David Harrison and clinical lead Mr Mike Dixon.
Mike Dixon says
“Being a breast surgeon and also working in the laboratory, I know how important it is to translate laboratory findings into direct benefits for patients and this type of research allows us to do this quickly and effectively. I am looking forward to explaining to His Royal Highness how our research will help to make a difference to the thousands of women diagnosed with breast cancer each year in Scotland and the rest of the UK”David Harrison adds
"We are delighted to welcome His Royal Highness to the opening of the Breakthrough Research Unit, Edinburgh. This facility marks a significant step forward for breast cancer research in Scotland. By bringing together some of the best scientific and clinical minds in the country, we will be able to improve treatment available for women and ensure patients are able to reap the benefits of our work as quickly as possible.”Research at the Breakthrough Research Unit, Edinburgh will focus on improving treatment for hormone-sensitive breast cancer, the most common form of the disease. Women with this type of tumour are usually treated with hormone therapies such as tamoxifen however, not everyone benefits from these treatments and many women experience the problem of drug resistance when their treatment stops working. The aim of the Breakthrough Research Unit, Edinburgh is ultimately to ensure women are treated in the most appropriate and effective way for their particular type of breast cancer, overcoming or avoiding the problem of drug resistance.
Jeremy Hughes, Chief Executive of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, says
“Breast cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK. In 2004, nearly 4,000 women were diagnosed with the disease in Scotland. If these women stood on each other’s shoulders, they would stand nearly 5 times the height of Ben Nevis - a very sobering thought. Breakthrough Breast Cancer is investing £4.6 million over five years to establish this unit, highlighting our commitment to create a future free from the fear of breast cancer. We are honoured that our Patron is able to join us today on an important milestone for our charity’s work.”Alison Walker, from Edinburgh, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and is a member of Breakthrough’s Campaigns & Advocacy Network. She says;
"I’m really pleased that Breakthrough Breast Cancer is opening this new research unit at the hospital where I received my treatment for the disease. With so much still to be done to discover its causes, develop new treatments and make sure everyone affected by cancer has the best possible care, it’s really important that scientists in the lab and doctors in the hospital can work together closely so patients can benefit from new advances as quickly as possible.”
Notes to editors:
* In 2004, 3.917 women in Scotland were diagnosed with breast cancer (note: 2004 is the most recent year for which statistics are available) - ISD Scotland
- Professor David Harrison is Director of the Breakthrough Research Unit, Edinburgh and Professor of Pathology at The University of Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre. He has worked for many years on mechanisms of death in tumour cells and how these might be exploited to improve treatment.
- Mr Mike Dixon is Clinical Lead of the Breakthrough Research Unit, Edinburgh, a consultant breast surgeon in the Edinburgh Breast Unit and a part time senior lecturer in surgery in The University of Edinburgh. He has a long track record of pioneering studies of new treatments in breast cancer and translational research.
- Research at the Breakthrough Research Unit, Edinburgh will focus on hormone-sensitive breast cancers, which are the most common type, accounting for around 75% of all breast cancers. Hormone therapies like tamoxifen and other anti-oestrogen drugs are a key treatment for women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer because it deprives the breast cancer cells of the oestrogen they need to grow, which then reduces the ability of the cancer to spread to other parts of the body. These drugs also control cancer cells that have already spread and reduces the chances of the cancer returning. However, for some patients, their tumours don’t respond well to these treatments or can become resistant to treatment.
- Scientists at the Breakthrough Research Unit, Edinburgh will carry out research using human breast cancer tissue samples. They will use cutting-edge technology to examine biological changes in these tumours and develop new treatments for this form of the disease. They are particularly interested in drug resistance – when a treatment stops working. They aim to find ways to overcome or avoid this problem. Ultimately, this will ensure women are treated in the most appropriate and effective way for their particular cancer, potentially benefiting thousands of women in Scotland and across the UK.
Breakthrough Breast Cancer:
- Breakthrough Breast Cancer is the UK’s leading breast cancer charity committed to fighting breast cancer through research, campaigning and education. In 1999 Breakthrough established the UK’s first dedicated breast cancer research centre. The Breakthrough Toby Robins Breast Cancer Research Centre is housed in the Mary-Jean Mitchell Green building at The Institute of Cancer Research and was set up in association with the Royal Marsden Hospital.
- Under the directorship of Professor Alan Ashworth, the Breakthrough Research Centre now has 120 world-class scientists and clinicians tackling breast cancer from all angles – from understanding the normal growth and development of the breast, how breast cancer arises and how the cancer spreads, to treatment and ultimately disease prevention. Scientists at the Breakthrough Research Centre have a range of expertise and approaches and together they are working towards a common goal: a future free from the fear of breast cancer.
- Breakthrough is opening three new research units in Edinburgh, London and Manchester in 2008.
Breast Cancer:
- Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK - over 44,000 women and around 300 men are diagnosed every year.
- Breast cancer accounts for nearly 1 in 3 of all female cancers and one in nine women in the UK will develop breast cancer at some point in their lifetime.
- The good news is that more women than ever in the UK are surviving breast cancer thanks to better awareness, better treatments and better screening.
For further information about Breakthrough Breast Cancer or breast cancer call the charity’s free information line on 08080 100 200.
