Oracle Cancer Trust is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to research into head and neck cancer, now the most common type of cancer in India. (www.oraclecancertrust.org)
In recognition of Oracle’s important work in developing new treatments, Asian Business Publications is delighted to be supporting the charity at the Asian Achievers Awards 2018.
One of the exciting areas of research currently being funded by Oracle is transoral robotic surgery in which a robot is used to remove a tumour from the mouth or throat. This state-of-the-art technique is being pioneered at the renowned Royal Marsden Hospital in London under the leadership of Oracle funded researcher Professor Vinidh Paleri.
Says Professor Paleri -
In the hospital, we sometimes encounter patients presenting with a cancerous lump in their neck but with no evidence of where that cancer may have originated from conventional imaging and endoscopy. These patients usually receive treatment to all possible cancer sites in the throat to ensure the cancer is eliminated but this broad-brush approach inevitably increases side-effects for patients.
Multi-centre work in the UK, led by the Marsden team, has identified that by using robotic surgery, over 50% of patients will have the origin of their cancer defined. This allows us to tailor treatment accordingly and reduce side-effects.
However, there is work still to be done to clearly quantify the benefits to patients. Oracle Cancer Trust is currently supporting a study which will allow us to generate valuable pilot data in our efforts to provide a definitive answer to this important question.
Such research cannot be performed without large sums of money. The seed money from Oracle Cancer Trust is invaluable in laying the foundations for larger-scale clinical trials. Only through research will we make the discoveries to treat and beat cancer.
