A team of cancer scientists and clinicians at the University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton have received £1.2million from World Cancer Research Fund to improve breast cancer treatments for patients.
Lead researchers Professor Ellen Copson and Professor Ramsey Cutress and their team will explore how detailed electronic scans of patients' body fat and muscle, combined with information about their exercise, could be used to more accurately determine and individualise the type and level of cancer treatment given.
Currently, simple measurements of weight and height are used by clinicians to help guide cancer treatment doses, but it is not known if this is the best approach to minimise complications and adverse effects.
The team's recent findings have been promising, and the hope is that their new programme of research will ultimately lead to people receiving cancer treatments that are more personalised and effective for patients in the future.
The researchers have already collected data from 300 patients who have early stage breast cancer and are receiving chemotherapy to explore how this novel approach could be applied to clinical care in order to individualise treatments.
This new funding allows them to immediately begin exploring how body composition affects patients' responses and side effects - not only from chemotherapy but also from more 'targeted' cutting-edge therapies including biological treatments, immunotherapies, and hormonal therapies.
In a previous study, the team of scientists and clinicians confirmed that women diagnosed with breast cancer aged under 40, who have a healthy body mass index, are more likely to live longer than those with a higher body mass index.
A higher body weight is also an established risk factor in the development of post-menopausal breast cancer - but the researchers say there are still many gaps in knowledge of how diet, weight, body composition and physical activity affect breast cancer and its treatment.
The programme, called CANDO, is a Southampton Breast Cancer Research Collaboration with the University's partners at University Hospital Southampton . The Southampton team are working with seven other NHS trusts to increase the number of patients involved in this research beyond the 300 patients who have already participated, and ensure that a diverse range of patients are represented.
Professor of Breast Surgery at the University of Southampton, lead researcher on CANDO and honorary surgeon at University Hospital Southampton, Professor Ramsey Cutress, said: "We are delighted to receive this funding from WCRF which will now enable us to explore in much more detail how body composition, exercise, and nutrition can impact breast cancer patient outcomes. We will take this further to better understand how to personalise a wide range of treatments to individual patients including surgery, radiotherapy and drug treatments."
Ellen Copson, Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Southampton, and joint lead researcher added: "This is all a critical step in learning to use modern cancer therapies including chemotherapy, targeted therapies and immunotherapies as effectively and safely as possible, helping clinicians to weigh up the pros and cons of particular treatments for individual patients and allowing us to provide more personalised information for patients to help them make decisions about their own treatments. We hope that our approach could become part of mainstream NHS approach to cancer care within the next ten years."
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust diagnose approximately 600 new breast cancer cases each year and are a large teaching hospital and regional oncology centre.
Breast cancer is also the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. In the UK over 55,000 new cases are reported annually, and one in seven UK women are diagnosed in their lifetime, with very small numbers of men also diagnosed. Despite the huge advances in treatment, the disease still progresses further in more than 20 percent of women who develop early-stage breast cancer (confined to the breast or nearby lymph nodes).
World Cancer Research Fund 's Executive Director of Research and Policy Dr Giota Mitrou, said: "The good news is that we know exercise and a healthy weight reduce the risk of breast cancer. But we don't yet know how to look at someone's body composition and lifestyle to provide ideal treatments and dosages. This is where the world-class work by the Southampton team can make a huge difference in improving breast cancer care."
Lesley Turner, a Patient Advocate for the team and a breast cancer survivor, has been actively involved in supporting patients in this research. She highlights the potential for this research to significantly enhance the experience of those undergoing treatment: "As someone who has personally experienced the challenges of breast cancer treatment, I understand how rough it can be and how difficult it is to get doses right. Currently, a lot of patients find chemotherapy courses very challenging, and we can't always know when more targeted treatments might be appropriate.
"This research could allow clinicians in future to reduce the guesswork and give patients with breast cancer an all-round better experience."
