Everyman - Funding research to cross out male cancer

Everyman is the UK's leading male cancer campaign

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Highlights and achievements

Development of Carboplatin

In the 1970’s the cure rate of testicular cancer was alarmingly low. Only one in 10 men diagnosed with the disease was cured. Scientists at The Institute developed the groundbreaking anti-cancer drug Carboplatin which has greatly improved the survival rate of several cancers, including testicular. The platinum based drug is largely responsible for today’s testicular cancer cure rate of well over 90 percent.

Conformal Radiotherapy

Prostate cancer is a difficult cancer to treat with conventional radiotherapy without inflicting undesirable side effects caused by damage to healthy tissue. Conformal (and now Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy) delivers radiation shaped more precisely to the contours of the tumour. In a series of studies, Professor Dearnaley and his team have shown how these techniques lessen any unpleasant side effects of treatment and allow higher and more effective doses of radiation to be safely given.

Prostate Cancer Gene

In 2004, scientists at The Everyman Centre – led by Professor Colin Cooper - made the groundbreaking discovery that a gene, called E2F3, is implicated in prostate cancer and that it is key in determining how aggressive the cancer will be. The discovery of the gene provides scientists with an exciting new target for treatment and provides them with a marker to distinguish between aggressive and non-aggressive prostate cancers.

New Development in Prostate Cancer Management

In 2005, Professor Colin Cooper’s team developed a technique which will markedly help in predicting the behaviour of prostate cancer. The technique, known as the ‘Checkerboard Tissue Microarray Method’, looks for multiple markers of various genes associated with prostate cancer aggressiveness, including the E2F3 gene.

The new technique allows the investigation of an enormous untapped resource of clinical specimens obtained at the time of diagnosis of cancer, in order to identify markers of the cancer’s aggressiveness. The technique will be pivotal in developing a test for prostate cancer aggressiveness which may ultimately prevent thousands of men undergoing unnecessary surgery.

Active Surveillance

Institute scientist, Dr Chris Parker, is running a trial of a new method of prostate cancer management that may allow men to avoid the need for radical treatment which can have debilitating side effects. Encouraging preliminary results of the trial were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Prostate Cancer Symposium in Feb 2006

Everyman: Funding research to cross out male cancer

Everyman is a campaign run by The Institute of Cancer Research. A charity, Not for Profit. Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England No. 534147.