Cork doctor leads fight to develop cancer treatment

A Cork doctor is playing a leading role in developing a powerful treatment for ovarian cancer that could save thousands of lives.

Mark Tangney, principal researcher at the Breakthrough Cancer Research Centre in Cork, is developing a range of bacteria-based treatments.

Dr Tangney, together with an international network of collaborators, found that probiotic bacteria could be used to target ovarian cancer — but more funding will be needed to advance the treatment.

The treatment method helps the body’s natural immune system to recognise and eliminate cancerous cells.

“We recently discovered that ovarian cancer is one of the best targets for this technique but there is a funding gap between proving the potential of a therapy in a laboratory and proving its potential in a patient,” said Dr Tangney.

Ovarian cancer is one of the most resistant cancers to modern treatments such as chemotherapy and, sadly, more than seven out of every 10 women diagnosed do not survive.

Ireland has the highest mortality rate from ovarian cancer in Europe, with around 370 new cases diagnosed every year. Most of the women will die within five years of diagnosis because of a lack of treatment options.

On World Ovarian Cancer Awareness Day, the Breakthrough Cancer Research Centre at University College Cork launched a public appeal for more funding yesterday.

Gynaecological oncologist John Coulter said it was heartbreaking knowing that only three out every 10 women he treated would be alive in five years time.

Dr Coulter said Breakthrough Cancer Research was pursuing several different strands of research and was already producing incredible results.

“Armed with these new options I know that we will be able to save more women’s lives,” he said.

“The simple fact is that the more money that can be raised, the faster Breakthrough Cancer Research can get their new therapies past the ‘lab-bench’ stage and into patient clinical trials and the faster they can be turned into real treatments for patients like mine.”

The Breakthrough Cancer Research Centre is urging people to donate €25 towards the lifesaving new research. Phone [phone] or see breakthroughcancerresearch.ie.