Gwen Young from Crowborough Acorns welcomed guests and said it was clear that times are tough for charities, so every pound that goes to CRUK is very gratefully received. After a delicious lunch, Gwen introduced the speaker, Tanya Hollands, Science Engagement Manager at Cancer Research UK.
Tanya said she was inspired to leave her job as a secondary school science teacher to join CRUK by her Mother, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2019 but is now doing well, mainly due to the research undertaken by CRUK.
Tanya said someone is diagnosed with cancer every two minutes in the UK, yet more people are surviving.
She went on to talk about some of the latest developments at CRUK, including how, by using AI to look at DNA in prostate cancer cells, scientists have discovered two distinct sub-types of prostate cancer and how this could revolutionise how prostate cancer is treated and how, through genetic testing, a vaccine could be on the horizon. Tanya also mentioned the success of the HPV vaccine and how scientists are busy developing proton beam therapy for head and neck cancers.
Finally, she highlighted the importance of early detention, which she said could be tricky, particularly if symptoms are vague. However, research teams are developing the CLCS (Cancer Loyalty Card Scheme), which tracks a person’s shopping habits and will flag changes – such as the purchase of additional pain relief or indigestion medicine.
It was a hugely positive and inspiring talk.
The raffle – which included some fabulous prizes – raised £1145 on the day and we will share how much was raised in total in due course.
