Groundbreaking €4.9m initiative launched to tackle 'Ireland's deadliest cancer'

Wed, 30 Oct, 2024 - 00:12

Steven Heaney

The Irish Cancer Society and Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre have launched a pioneering new initiative aimed at "transforming lung cancer care and research".

Lung cancer is responsible for more deaths each year than breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer combined.

Those behind the six-year Beaumont RCSI Irish Cancer Society Lung Outreach Programme say it will "advance cutting-edge cancer care, focusing on early detection, advanced diagnostics, and innovative treatments" and see specialists, primary care leaders, and patient advocates unite to bring "state-of-the-art cancer care to the community and enhancing access to Irish Cancer Society support services".

The €4.9m partnership marks the largest single investment in lung cancer in the history of the State. The programme itself encompasses four research projects.

The Lung Health Check, a clinical trial which will be run in collaboration with specific GP practices in North Dublin and the northeast of the country, will see individuals with a higher risk of developing lung cancer — current and former smokers — invited to attend community-based mobile scanning units aimed at detecting conditions and symptoms of lung cancer before they appear.

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More generally, the programme will also see the team at the Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre work closely with GPs to improve lung cancer detection, diagnostics and survivorship pathways.

They will also collaborate to develop rapid blood tests, also known as liquid biopsies, aimed at identifying whether patients with newly-diagnosed lung cancer may benefit from more tailored, personalised treatments. Researches say this approach could speed up patients' access to life-saving care.

The final aspect of the programme will see researchers test immunotherapies to treat patients with the specific KRAS-mutant form of lung cancer, which is common in Ireland and particularly challenging to treat.

CEO of the Irish Cancer Society, Averil Power, said the new programme represents a "historic investment" and "a turning point for lung cancer in Ireland".

She said:
Lung cancer kills more Irish people every year than any other cancer, mainly because it is diagnosed late when it is difficult to treat.

"We are confident this pilot programme will save lives by detecting cancer early."

Ms Power also said she hoped the programme would, in time, lead to "a free national lung check programme for all Irish people at high risk of getting lung cancer".

"We are also delighted this partnership will integrate Irish Cancer Society services within the care pathways in Beaumont Hospital," she added.

"This will make it easier for patients to access our free advice, counselling, peer support, hospital transport and other services, and provide a model for other hospitals to follow.”

"By combining the expertise of clinicians and scientists at the Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre with vital support from the Irish Cancer Society, we will not only detect lung cancer earlier but also deliver more personalised and effective treatments," said Jarushka Naidoo, Professor of Medical Oncology at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Science and Consultant Medical Oncologist at Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre.

"This funding is a critical turning point — the largest investment for lung cancer — where it is much needed, and for those at greatest risk."

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