CR@B 2017

Dr Hanahan speaks with ecancer at the 1st Cancer Research @ Bath Symposium about the hallmarks of cancer cell development, combination therapies, and the priorities of cancer prevention and disease management. Dr Hanahan expounds the social factors behind disease prevention and management, including tobacco and exercise, and how that compares to chemoprevention with repurposed aspirin. In the case of melanoma, he considers the utility of immunotherapy as a new treatment of disease alongside effective sun-care practices to block UV damage, and weighs the predictive value of heritable disease predisposition genes.

Dr Morgan speaks with ecancer at the 1st Cancer Research @ Bath Symposium about repurposed aspirin in cancer prevention, and its synergy in bowel cancer screening. He introduces the role of dietary salicylates, which aspirin matches, and cautions against overestimating the risks of regular aspirin use; while bleed risks are higher, risk of death reduces. Dr Morgan notes the exception of bleeding in the brain, a significant risk to patients with high blood pressure, and considers how patients may reach a fully informed treatment choice.

Dr Hilkens speaks with ecancer at the 1st Cancer Research @ Bath Symposium about identifying mutational pathways that led to breast cancer. He focuses on the role of spondins, which have been implicated in tumourigenesis in colon cancer, as driving stem cell progression to cancer, and explains his methods of insertional mutagenesis to identify 30 potential oncogenes. Dr Hilkens' research on one of the genes, insulin receptor substrate (IRS4), has been recently published in Molecular and Cellular Oncology, and he also considers the role of LTR6 in stem cell behaviour.

Prof Fitzgerald speaks with ecancer at the 1st Cancer Research @ Bath Symposium about characterising and diagnosing oesophageal carcinoma. She describes changes in cell status of oesophageal lining, and introduces analysis of gene sequencing from a large patient cohort. Amidst the heterogeneity of these cancer cells, Prof Fitzgerald identifies p53 mutations and structural rearrangements of genes as recurrent changes, similar to ovarian cancer.

Prof Fitzgerald speaks with ecancer at the 1st Cancer Research @ Bath Symposium about diagnosing oesophageal carcinoma, and early detection of its precancerous state. The 'cytosponge' test, which she describes as a cost-effective, low-impact out-patient procedure, was previously reported in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology. Prof Fitzgerald goes on to discuss testing for Trefoil Factor 3 (TFF3) as a biomarker of Barrett's Oesophagus, and introduces the BEST3 trial, currently recruiting participants.

Dr Dukes speaks with ecancer at the 1st Cancer Research @ Bath Symposium about ImmTac, a bi-specific T cell platform that targets uveal melanoma. He describes the CD3 targetting of ImmTac to attract T cells to attack tumours, and introduces dose escalation studies leading to upcoming phase II trials, including combination with other immunotherapies. Dr Dukes considers the function of other T cell platforms, including those against CD19, and looks forward to presenting trial data soon.

Sounak Sahu speaks with ecancer at the 1st Cancer Research @ Bath Symposium about the use of planarian worms as a model of stem cell stability under DNA damage. Planarian worms, which can be cut into over 100 pieces which will each regenerate into a whole worm, can resist significant amounts of ionising radiation, and their management of DNA repair pathways are of clinical interest alongside their telomeric maintenance. Sahu considers other animal models with similar radioresistance, and considers how identifying genes involved in the pluripotency of adult stem cells could lead to further research.

Dr Morris speaks with ecancer at the 1st Cancer Research @ Bath Symposium about the conserved N terminal of BRCA1 and its role in DNA repair and protection. She describes how understanding the function of BRCA1 in mutant and wild type forms is informing treatment choice and resistance, especially PARP inhibitor therapy.

Dr Gergely speaks with ecancer at the 1st Cancer Research @ Bath Symposium about centrosome duplication in cancer cells. She describes analysis of ovarian cancer cells revealing centrosome amplification in 60% of cells assessed, and the cellular pathways implicated in this organelle replication.

Cheryl Cruwys speaks with ecancer at the 1st Cancer Research @ Bath Symposium about the diagnostic considerations required for identifying cancer in a patient with dense breast tissue. Cheryl's 8mm invasive tumour was detected early by French clinicians, and she has since striven to promote awareness by doctors and concerned women of how to identify cancer in dense breasts.

Dr Hill speaks with ecancer at the 1st Cancer Research @ Bath Symposium about the mixed role of tumour suppression and promotion by TGF-β. She explains the balance of motility and metastasis against tumourigenesis, depending on expression levels, and how this change can be driven by nearby cell activity.