Major funding boost for radiotherapy research

Scientists and clinicians at the University of Leeds exploring new radiotherapy treatments and technologies have been given a major cash boost from Cancer Research UK (CRUK).

Over the next five years the CRUK Leeds Radiation Research Centre of Excellence (RadNet Leeds) will receive £2.94 million from the charity.

Combined with a further £5.6 million leveraged funding from the University, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and local charity and industry partners, it will allow the Centre to continue its world-class research and innovation in radiotherapy and ultimately help save lives.

RadNet exemplifies health innovation achieved through pioneering techniques, groundbreaking research and collaboration in Leeds.

Led by Leeds' Professor David Sebag-Montefiore, a multidisciplinary team from the University and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust will use the outstanding cancer biology, pathology and artificial intelligence expertise and facilities at the University to improve the understanding of how radiation affects cancer cells.

This will enable scientists to more accurately predict which tumours will respond to radiotherapy, and which will be resistant - helping to deliver smarter and kinder radiotherapy treatments that are personalised to the patient and their tumour.

Precise, targeted treatments

Professor Shearer West CBE, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Leeds, said: "Leeds scientists are leading efforts to develop novel patient-focused, radiotherapy research. This investment will enable our researchers to continue their work to improve the lives of cancer patients across the city, the region and the world through more precise and targeted treatments.

"Cancer research at Leeds is focused on improving patient outcomes, and RadNet exemplifies health innovation achieved through pioneering techniques, groundbreaking research and collaboration in Leeds."

Professor David Sebag-Montefiore, Audrey and Stanley Burton Professor of Oncology and Director of RadNet Leeds, said: "We are very proud that Leeds has been awarded a further five years of funding, which will allow us to build on the outstanding success of RadNet and accelerate the development of biologically and physically informed personalised radiotherapy for our patients.

"Our interdisciplinary research teams will develop and translate smarter kinder radiotherapy treatments across a broad range of cancers to replace the need for major surgery and a colostomy bag, provide shorter courses of treatment with less side effects, and tailor the choice of treatment.

"Our renewed CRUK funding will help bring forward the day when we can deliver a truly personalised approach so that we can say to future patients 'this is the right radiotherapy dose, the right number of treatments and the best technology to give you the highest chance of a successful outcome'."

During the first five years, RadNet Leeds became an internationally leading hub for re-irradiation; contributed to the successful funding of five innovative clinical trials; established a remote learning platform for rare cancers, and provided enhanced research and patient access to MRI scanner-guided radiotherapy.

RadNet Leeds' plans for the next five years include research into the biological understanding of radiotherapy response and resistance; personalised radiotherapy, re-irradiation - treating areas close to the initial disease site where cancer has recurred - and understanding why radiotherapy works for some patients but not others.

Work will focus on rarer tumours which currently do not have as many treatment options, including brain and liver cancers; and disease areas where the team has internationally leading expertise, including anal, rectal and prostate cancer.

Using artificial intelligence, the team will be able to safely look at complicated patient data across Europe to learn more about which patients will benefit most from radiotherapy and how to target radiotherapy better, allowing them to choose the best treatment with the fewest side effects.

Accelerating progress

Research at RadNet Leeds will combine cancer biology, artificial intelligence, imaging, physics, pathology, data science and clinical trials to accelerate progress and improve cancer outcomes in Leeds, Yorkshire and across the world.

Professor Andrew Macdonald, Professor of Tumour Virology in the University of Leeds' Faculty of Biological Sciences and Discovery Lead for RadNet Leeds, said: "We are excited to combine our scientific excellence and outstanding facilities in biological sciences including the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology to better understand the behavior of the tumour, and connect the lab with the clinic to accelerate progress in translating these findings into new treatment approaches."

More than 130,000 patients in the UK are treated with radiotherapy in the NHS every year - from curing early-stage cancer to easing symptoms for people with terminal illness.

In its simplest form, the treatment works by targeting tumours with X-Ray radiation, killing cancer cells by irreversibly damaging their DNA.

Today's radiotherapy is a highly sophisticated tool, with around four in 10 patients in England who receive it being cured of their cancer.

Leeds has a rich heritage of radiotherapy that began with the Leeds General Infirmary Radium Centre in 1929. Radiotherapy then moved to Cookridge Hospital in the 1950s, when one of the first cobalt treatment machines in the UK was purchased with grant funding. In 1956 the hospital became a high energy radiotherapy centre.

In 2008, radiotherapy moved to the £220m Bexley Wing at St James's University Hospital - the largest single site facility in the UK - which provides state-of-the-art radiotherapy facilities treating around 7,000 new patients per year.

Professor Phil Wood, Chief Executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "Leeds Cancer Centre treats over 7,000 new cancer patients each year with radiotherapy and we are fully committed to providing the best integrated care through our highly specialised multidisciplinary teams.

"The Centre of Excellence is an exemplar of our close partnership with the University of Leeds. At Leeds Teaching Hospitals, research and innovation is embedded in everything we do, ensuring that we offer the best treatments to our patients as soon as possible. We are immensely grateful for the support from the Leeds Hospitals Charity and its donors that raised £2.4m for the MRI Simulator that opened to patients last year, and will play a vital role in improving the precise targeting of radiotherapy for our patients."

Rosie's story

Rosie Sanderson, from Settle, knows all too well the importance and impact of radiotherapy.

In 2019 Rosie was diagnosed with anal cancer when she was 61 years old. She was referred to St James' Hospital in Leeds under Professor David Sebag-Montefiore's team and received radiotherapy as part of her treatment plan, which also included chemotherapy.

She said: "Two to three weeks into my treatment I really started to feel the side-effects, particularly pain and fatigue. By the fourth week, I was no longer able to travel by train or drive myself to treatments. Before I started the treatment, I was a really fit and active person. That loss of independence and the constant exhaustion were a real challenge for me."

It is hoped the new funding will explore further the possibility of reducing the duration of radiotherapy treatments for patients resulting in fewer side effects.

Rosie added: "Having been through the treatment for anal cancer, I fully appreciate how helpful it would be to have more options in care. The possibility that future patients might not have to face as many side-effects and have shorter treatment is really wonderful."

With around 33,400 people diagnosed with cancer every year in Yorkshire and the Humber, the need to make faster advances is clear.

Dr Iain Foulkes, Executive Director of Research and Innovation at Cancer Research UK, said: "Cancer Research UK, and its predecessors, have been at the forefront of radiation research for the past 120 years. Thanks to research, radiotherapy treatment is becoming kinder, more precise and less intensive across different cancers.

"This funding marks a new phase of our RadNet network, advancing research which will further accelerate improvements in radiotherapy treatment in the clinic. This funding will work alongside our investments in pioneering radiotherapy clinical trials to ensure more people can live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer."

Further information

Main image: Members of the RadNet Leeds team. Credit: University of Leeds.

Email media enquiries to University of Leeds press officer Lauren Ballinger via [email protected].

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