While finding the exact cause may prove difficult, an expert has said factors such as environment, genetics and even lifestyle may offer protection to some of the population
Millions of Brits may be naturally ‘cancer resistant’ say experts – and the breakthrough could lead to a cure for the deadly disease. Around one in two Brits get cancer but tumours do not develop in everyone who would be expected to get one, which could lead to a major health breakthrough.
Prof Karen Vousden, from Cancer Research UK, said: “We spend an awful lot of time thinking about why people do get cancer but we haven’t really thought about why some people don’t. I’d be hopeful we’d see this in a large proportion of the population.”
If even just two per cent of the population were found to have a natural resistance to cancer, it would equate to a million Brits who will would be immune to the disease. And in a mission to quantify the figures, scientists are being funded £20m to try and figure out what creates the resistance in some people.
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While finding the exact cause may prove difficult, Vousden said factors such as environment, genetics and even lifestyle may offer protection to some of the population.
So-called ‘cancer avoidance’ is one of seven topics open to pitches for grants rom CRUK’s Cancer Grand Challenges pot, with winners decided next year.
And it’s just one of several recent advancements in the fight to cure cancer. Last month, a “switch” that reverses cancer cells was discovered by scientists.
They claim it’s a major breakthrough in finding a cure to the disease. A team of researches in South Korea were able to revert cancerous cells back to a healthier stage by activating this molecular level.
In the ground-breaking discovery, they identified a critical moment in the early stages of cancer development – before normal cells irreversibly transform into diseased cells – a finding that could offer a new treatment approach, potentially revolutionising the way we fight the disease.
Traditionally, cancer treatments focus on removing or destroying cancer cells through surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. But new research points to a third option: helping patients regain their healthy cells, possibly offering therapies that are less toxic and more effective, Dr. Troso-Sandoval told MailOnline.
And just days ago, it was announced that DIY smear tests for women would become part of an NHS plan to eradicate cervical cancer by 2040. Outgoing NHS boss Amanda Pritchard has unveiled measures to achieve the “world-leading ambition” including DIY swab kits for thousands of women.
Currently cervical screening involves a medical professional inserting a soft brush to take a sample of cells from the cervix. Embarrassment is thought to be a major reason uptake of screening is not higher and rates have fallen in recent years.
Two people a day still die from cervical cancer in the UK and the disease claimed the life of Celebrity Big brother star Jade Goody in 2009.
