New artificial intelligence software that can help to spot prostate cancer is being trialled by researchers at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust Researchers and clinicians in Oxford have begun an evaluation of artificial intelligence (AI) software that could help ... READ MORE
News for Cancer
Genetic ‘marker’ linked to side-effects from skin cancer treatment found
New research has identified a genetic marker that could be used to predict a patient’s risk of developing serious side-effects when undergoing immunotherapy treatment for one of the most common skin cancers. The study, which was supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre ... READ MORE
Study highlights ongoing COVID-19 risk in some cancer patients despite vaccination
A study has found that while COVID-19 vaccination is effective in most cancer patients, the level of protection against COVID-19 infection, hospitalisation and death offered by the vaccine is less than in the general population and vaccine effectiveness wanes more quickly. The study, published in ... READ MORE
Cancer Research UK to invest £11 million into cancer science in Oxford
Cancer Research UK has invested £11 million in the University of Oxford and Oxford-based NHS to accelerate the translation of its world-leading cancer research for patient benefit. The highly competitive Cancer Research UK Centre awards recognise the UK’s most innovative, high-impact cancer ... READ MORE
New multi-cancer early detection blood test study opens
Volunteers in Oxfordshire are taking part in a new study that will trial a revolutionary new blood test that can detect more than 50 types of cancer before symptoms appear. The aim of the SYMPLIFY study, which is being led by the University of Oxford and is open at Oxford University Hospitals ... READ MORE
First person receives drug designed to re-sensitise patients to cancer treatment
The first patient has been dosed using a new drug aimed at improving treatment options for melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and re-sensitising patients with checkpoint therapy-resistant tumours The IMP-MEL clinical trial began in Oxford with its first patient being dosed with the ... READ MORE
Oxford Cancer launched at the University of Oxford
Oxford Cancer has been launched to represent and coordinate cancer research in Oxford. The pan-divisional initiative has been launched at the University of Oxford, bringing together the collective force of cancer research, outreach and care that happen across the city. With more than 900 ... READ MORE
Study investigating targeted drug delivery by focused ultrasound for pancreatic cancer opens
University of Oxford researchers have begun recruitment to a study looking at whether chemotherapy medication can reach pancreatic tumours more effectively if encapsulated within a heat-sensitive shell and triggered with focused ultrasound. The Phase I PanDox study, which is supported by the ... READ MORE
Oxford wins government funding to evaluate prostate cancer detection system
A prostate cancer detection software system to help pathologists quickly identify suspicious areas of tissue, developed by the digital diagnostic company Paige, will be investigated in a multicentre clinical study led by the University of Oxford as part of a successful NHSX Artificial Intelligence ... READ MORE
AI endoscopy enables 3D surface measurements of pre-cancerous condition in oesophagus
Clinicians and engineers in Oxford have begun using artificial intelligence alongside endoscopy to get more accurate readings of the pre-cancerous condition Barrett’s oesophagus and so determine patients most at risk of developing cancer. In a research paper published in the journal ... READ MORE
Artificial intelligence tool for streamlining pathology workflow
A multidisciplinary team comprising University of Oxford academics and Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) pathologists has developed an algorithm that automates requests for additional investigation of diagnostically uncertain prostate biopsies. The team were supported by the NIHR Oxford BRC ... READ MORE
New clinical prediction tools for myeloma developed
University of Oxford researchers have developed new clinical prediction models for use in primary care with the aim of accelerating the diagnosis of myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow. Myeloma caused 117,077 deaths worldwide in 2020. Earlier diagnosis improves the rate of survival but ... READ MORE
Classification system uncovers new information about ovarian cancers
An Oxford-based ovarian cancer specialist has published a paper outlining a new classification which categorises different subtypes of cells and determines which ones can lead to more severe cancer outcomes. This approach, dubbed the ‘Oxford Classification of Carcinoma of the Ovary’ or ‘Oxford ... READ MORE
Using AI to improve the quality of endoscopy videos
A multidisciplinary team of researchers has developed a deep-learning framework for improving endoscopy to aid the detection of cancer and other gastrointestinal diseases. Cancers detected at an earlier stage have a much higher chance of being treated successfully. The main method for ... READ MORE
New melanoma drug a step closer to the clinic
A new anti-tumour immune response drug for patients with metastatic melanoma has given positive results in clinical trials conducted by the University of Oxford and the UK biotech company Immunocore. The trials into the use of tebentafusp for metastatic uveal melanoma mean the drug could now be ... READ MORE
$410 million buy-out for Oxford cancer detection technology
Oxford biotechnology spin-out company Base Genomics has been acquired by the US early cancer detection company Exact Sciences for $410 million. Base Genomics, which was launched in June 2020, is based on Dr Chunxiao Song’s innovative TET-assisted pyridine borane sequencing (TAPS) ... READ MORE
Minimal risk of catching COVID-19 as a result of endoscopy, study finds
More than 6,000 patients who underwent endoscopy at 18 NHS hospitals since the start of pandemic have been tested and none contracted COVID as a result of the procedure, a study involving clinicians from Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust has found. Clinicians hope the ... READ MORE
Eight BRC projects get RCF funding
Eight Oxford BRC proposals, many covering a number of themes, have been awarded NIHR Research Capability Funding (RCF) funding to take forward key areas of research. The selected projects that will be supported include: Developing a research centre devoted to urgent and acute careThe ... READ MORE
Home colorectal cancer tests could prioritise patients for referral
Non-invasive home-based tests that detect blood in patient stool samples offer an accurate and appropriate triaging method for GPs, according to University of Oxford researchers. The study, which is already informing a redesign of the colorectal cancer pathway at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) ... READ MORE
Study sheds light on breast cancer risk after pre-invasive disease
Women who are diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (known as DCIS) during breast screening go on to experience higher risks of developing breast cancer and of death from breast cancer, compared with the general population, according to a study by Oxford researchers. DCIS is a disease where ... READ MORE