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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Welcome back to That Cancer Conversation!

Drugs like Mounjaro and Wegovy are helping millions of people across the UK lose weight faster and more effectively. That’s important for us, because obesity is one of the leading preventable causes of cancer. So, with obesity and cancer on the rise around the world, could weight loss drugs be a way for us to tackle them both together?

To help break down the science of weight loss injections and how they work, we’re joined by Dr Rachel Orritt, one of our health information managers at Cancer Research UK. We also speak to Dr Matthew Harris, a surgeon and Cancer Research UK Clinical Research Fellow, about how he and his fellow researchers are working to answer the long list of questions we still have about weight loss drugs and cancer.

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Discussed on today’s episode:

Weight loss drugs and cancer: what we know so far

PADRAIC project

Causes of cancer and reducing your risk

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Welcome back to That Cancer Conversation!

Artificial Intelligence is no longer science fiction. It's here and it's becoming part of our everyday lives. But what happens when AI steps into the world of healthcare? Could it actually help us beat cancer?

In this episode we’re joined by Lara Lewington, a technology journalist and author of the bestselling book, Hacking Humanity: How technology can save your health and your life. Lara explains how AI is shaping the healthcare of tomorrow and how it could change the way we prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.

We’re also joined by Professor Peter Coveney, from University College London. He discusses his work on digital twins - a virtual version of you that could help make real-life healthcare smarter and safer.

We discuss the risks and benefits of AI and ask one of the biggest questions: could AI ever replace doctors?

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Discussed on today's episode:

AI could improve cancer diagnosis – if we get these 5 things right

Digital twins and Big AI: the future of truly individualised healthcare

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For more cancer stories, visit Cancer News

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Welcome to series 4 of That Cancer Conversation!

We kick off the first episode of the new series discussing the power of exercise. We all know exercise is good for our health. It can make a huge difference to our overall wellbeing and recovery, but could it go even further? Could it help us survive cancer?

In this episode we’re first joined by Kara Miller, a former professional netball player who was diagnosed with bowel cancer back in 2022. She reflects on her athletic career and how it helped her not only through cancer treatment but also inspired her to become a cancer rehabilitation personal trainer.

We also hear from Professor Vicky Coyle, a researcher at Queen’s University Belfast who led the UK arm of the CHALLENGE trial, investigating whether exercise could help people survive bowel cancer. She shares the incredible results of her research and what this could mean for the future of cancer treatment and care.

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to subscribe and watch it all on our YouTube channel!

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Discussed on today's episode:

Exercise can help more people survive colon cancer

What are the benefits of exercise?

CHALLENGE trial paper

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For more cancer stories, visit Cancer News

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Welcome to another episode of That Cancer Conversation!

For our series finale, Sophie is joined by royal correspondent and best-selling author, Katie Nicholl.

Katie has spent over 20 years writing about the British royal family, from A-levels to coronations, Katie has reported it all. But when King Charles III and Princess Catherine both announced their cancer diagnoses, their stories hit very close to home, as only a few months earlier Katie finished her own treatment for liver cancer.

On this episode, Katie talks to Sophie about her own personal cancer story, being diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer (cholangiocarcinoma), and reflects on the impact the King and Princess of Wales have made from their own cancer experiences.

You can watch the full episode on our YouTube channel!

We’ll be back soon with series 4! Thank you for tuning in and subscribe to be the first to listen to new episodes.

Links:

Read more about cholangiocarcinoma

AMMF The Cholangiocarcinoma Charity

Follow Katie on Instagram

Discover more of Katie’s work:

Vanity Fair

DYNASTY podcast: The Royal Family’s Most Challenging Year

For more cancer stories, visit Cancer News.

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Welcome to another episode of That Cancer Conversation!

Here in the UK, radiotherapy plays a part in treating more than 140,000 people with cancer every year. From infants to adults, radiotherapy is a precise and personalised tool used to target many different types of cancer.

But how does it all work?

In this episode Sophie speaks to Hayley Brown, a science engagement manager at Cancer Research UK to explain alongside breaking down the history and evolution of radiotherapy. Sophie also speaks to Nevo, a image consultant and stylist who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012 and underwent radiotherapy as part of her cancer treatment. She explains what is was like and why she believes it's important to keep having a conversation about cancer.

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to subscribe and watch it all on our YouTube channel!

Extra links:

Article --> Rays of hope: how Cancer Research UK helped shape radiotherapy

More info --> What is radiotherapy?

Follow us on Instagram to stay updated and for more cancer stories visit Cancer News.

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