In this episode of That Cancer Conversation, we’re joined by Cancer Research UK science expert Dr Claire Bromley to explore the future of cancer prevention. We dive into the surprising clues hidden in the animal kingdom, the mystery of human “super avoiders,” and the cutting-edge research that could make cancer prevention more targeted and personalised than ever before.

From elephants and naked mole rats to innovative vaccines and the gut microbiome, this episode uncovers the fascinating science shaping a new era of prevention.

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In this episode, you'll learn:

• What precision prevention actually means and how researchers are looking for cancer’s earliest biological warning signs
• How animals resist cancer, including the secrets of elephants, bowhead whales, naked mole rats and other species with remarkable natural protection.
• The mystery of human “super avoiders”, and the team mapping the antibodies that may help protect some people from developing cancer.
• The rise of cancer vaccines for people at higher risk, including projects like LungVax and OvarianVax.
• The role of the microbiome, and how trillions of microbes in our gut may influence cancer risk as we age.

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Cancer isn’t a modern disease – it’s an ancient biological phenomenon that has existed for hundreds of millions of years. In this episode, we trace cancer’s origins from the dawn of multicellular life, explore how it affected ancient animals and break down the major scientific and medical advances that shaped modern cancer research.

We’re joined by Dr Roselyn Campbell, bioarchaeologist and Egyptologist at Purdue University. She explains how scientists identify tumours in archaeological remains and what living with cancer might have been like in ancient societies.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How cancer first emerged in early multicellular life
• What ancient animal fossils reveal about the history of cancer
• How past civilisations like Ancient Egypt understood, described, and attempted to treat cancer
• The key discoveries that unlocked cancer’s biology
• The major treatment milestones – from surgery to radiation to chemotherapy
• How imaging technologies revolutionised diagnosis
• How genomics and targeted therapies reshaped modern cancer care

For more cancer stories visit Cancer News!

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What if our blood could help us detect cancer earlier than ever before?

In this episode, we’re exploring liquid biopsies, cutting-edge blood tests that can pick up the smallest signs of cancer swirling through the blood. We sit down with Professor Nitzan Rosenfeld, Director of Barts Cancer Institute and a pioneer in the field.

Professor Rosenfeld explains how fragments of tumour DNA enter our blood from cancer cells, what they can tell us about cancer, and how liquid biopsies can use blood samples to transform early detection, screening and treatment.

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In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The ways tiny molecular hints about our health can end up in our blood
• How circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) in the blood can help us detect and understand tumours in other parts of the body, giving a fuller picture than traditional biopsies and scans
• The different types of liquid biopsies that can be used to diagnose cancer, guide personalised treatment, check if any traces of cancer remain after therapy (called MRD, or minimal residual disease) and track changes as tumours evolve
• What the NHS GALLERI trial, which uses a single blood test to screen more than 50 cancer types in people without symptoms, could mean for early cancer detection
• What our blood might reveal about our future health, and how that might change the way we think

Professor Nitzan Rosenfeld is the Director of Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), which is a key part of the Cancer Research UK City of London Centre. He’s also Professor of Applied Cancer Research at QMUL and the head of a lab that develops liquid biopsies for detecting and monitoring cancer.

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If you enjoyed today’s episode and want to find out more, you can check out our liquid biopsies articles on the Cancer News site: https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/topic/liquid-biopsies/

We also have an immersive guide to the array of cancer clues that tests can find floating in blood: https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/shorthand_story/what-are-liquid-biopsies/

You can read more about the NHS-Galleri trial on the NHS website: https://www.nhs-galleri.org/

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