Preventing
Cancer is a common disease. About one in three people in Britain will get cancer at some time in their life. Scientists study what makes you more likely to get cancer so that you can work with your doctor to help avoid getting cancer.
Some people are more likely to get cancer than others. Scientists have discovered that people can inherit a gene mistake that makes them more susceptible to cancer. However, only 5% of cancers are caused by this reason. The other reasons must be due to factors in the environment, the lifestyle that people live, or mistakes copying DNA as people get old.
Scientists already know that cigarette smoke contributes to lung cancer and sunshine rays contribute to skin cancer. However there are many other cancers and scientists do not know all their causes.
Normal tissue in the breast is organised.
In a study of breast cancer Jack Cuzick and his team at QMUL discovered that lowering levels of the hormone oestrogen reduces the risk of women getting breast cancer for the second time.
They are now coordinating a worldwide trial to see if they can achieve the same effect in women who are at high risk of getting breast cancer.
Scientists and doctors at QMUL and around the world have discovered that almost every woman who gets cervical cancer has been infected by a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV).
The scientists have developed a vaccine against this virus. This should reduce the chances of a woman getting cervical cancer by up to 70%.
HPV - Human Papilloma Virus.
The scientists and doctors have also developed a test that can tell if a woman has early signs of cervical cancer. This test can identify cervical cancer so early that a woman can get treatment that stops the cancer completely.
