July 27th 2000
Response from Dr Peter Rigby, Chief Executive of The Institute of Cancer Research and Miss Cally Palmer, Chief Executive of the Royal Marsden NHS Trust to the Science & Technology Select Committee enquiry into cancer research.
The Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital welcomes the Science & Technology Select Committee enquiry into cancer research.
It is timely that the enquiry should take place just as The Cancer Genome Project, initiated by Institute scientists, is launched. This project will provide an unparalleled opportunity for research and have an enormous impact on treatment development.
Funding provided by the cancer charities has achieved an enormous amount to ensure that the UK is extremely strong in certain areas of research and treatment development. However, The Institute and Trust agree that the government should increase their share of the funding to ensure that the UK is a leader in all areas of cancer research and care. Prostate cancer research, in particular, requires the government to play a much greater role in ensuring high standards of research and in co-ordinating research into this disease.
It is essential that the government reviews the opportunities for increasing support of cancer research, and that we develop our capacity for translating research from the laboratory to the clinic. We welcome the Committee's recommendation that annual NHS R&D support funding be increased and that the balance of Government to charity research funding should be redressed through partnership and co-operation.
The Institute and The Trust also agree that it is highly desirable to significantly increase the proportion of adult cancer patients entered into clinical trials.
The development of conformal radiotherapy, singled out for special mention by the Committee, was made possible by the unique partnership between The Institute and The Royal Marsden NHS Trust that allows us to translate laboratory research into clinical practice.
The Institute and Trust agree that the creation of a National Cancer Institute, similar to that in the US, would not improve cancer research but would serve only to add another layer to the existing system of regulation and administration and would not necessarily bring any scientific benefits to the UK.
However, we do welcome any concept, such as a 'virtual centre', which might improve co-ordination of research in the UK and look forward to hearing more detail of the proposal for a National Cancer Research Institute to set national research priorities and to co-ordinate research.
For further information please contact The Press Office on:-
Tel: 0207 970 6030
email: [email protected]
Please note:
Unfortunately the press office are unable to answer queries from the general public. For general cancer information please refer to The Institute's cancer information page.