News digest – bowel cancer screening, aspirin, telomeres and more

• New research from our scientists shows that although 70 per cent of people do at least one complete bowel cancer screening test, only 40 per cent of people consistently complete tests sent every two years. Returning a completed test each time it’s sent out is vital for spotting bowel cancer as early as possible. Our press release has more info.
• We launched a new clinical trial testing whether high doses of aspirin could prevent permanent hearing loss in people being treated with the chemotherapy drug cisplatin. Read the BBC’s coverage for more details.
• New research showed that mice with eczema develop fewer tumours in response to two chemicals that encourage skin cancer growth compared to normal mice. The Telegraph covered this, but as this NHS Choices article points out, it’s too early to say if the same protective benefits are true in people with eczema.
• This excellent article from The Telegraph explores tiny stretches of DNA called ‘telomeres’ and how they may hold the clue to ageing as well as playing an important role in cancer.
• Times Higher Education covered our new strategy, outlining some of the exciting new ways we will be supporting researchers in the future.
• New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that deaths from potentially avoidable causes, including cancer, account for nearly a quarter of all deaths in England and Wales. The Telegraph and the Express have more on this, and you can read about how we’re investing in research into cancer prevention and early diagnosis here.
• The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approved the use of the prostate cancer drug enzalutamide (Xtandi) in men whose prostate cancer has spread to other parts of the body following treatment with other drugs. The Telegraph has more.
• A fascinating piece from Forbes covers the various ways researchers across the world are looking to harness the power of the immune system to target cancer.
• This interesting article from the journal Nature Medicine explores how maths is being used to come up with new ways of getting the right dose of drugs to cancer patients.
• The Telegraph covered a Swedish study showing that women who completely avoided the sun were twice as likely to die from any cause, including cancer. It’s not clear what caused this difference in death rates, but evidence shows that striking a healthy balance when it comes to sun exposure is vital. We need enough sunshine to make vitamin D for healthy bones (although it can also come from the diet too), but excess UV exposure from the sun or sunbeds is the main cause of skin cancer.

And finally

• We may all like to be beside the seaside, but this worrying report from ITV reveals how a large number of tanning salons in Blackpool are failing safety standards and serving under-age clients. There’s sufficient evidence to show that using sunbeds causes malignant melanoma – the most serious form of skin cancer – and they are not a safe way to get a tan. Read more about sunbeds on our SunSmart pages.

Nick