UCL Cancer Institute in Channel 4 'Curing Cancer' documentary

16 October 2014

The 'Curing Cancer' documentary broadcast on Channel 4 on the 15 October follows four UCLH patients taking part in trials of advanced cancer treatments, from the labs of the UCL Cancer Institute to the wards of UCLH.

Dr Rakesh Popat, Consultant Haematologist at UCH, Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at the UCL Cancer Institute; Jeffery Sugarman, patient; Dr. Louise Dickinson, Clinical Fellow in Urology UCH; Debra Cox, patient

Dennis, Debra, Jeffery and Pete were all facing the future with trepidation, but agreed to take part in groundbreaking trials aimed at improving the way cancer is diagnosed and treated.

Made by BAFTA winning director Brian Woods, the film looks at the race to find a successful treatment for cancer before the disease spreads.

The film witnesses first-hand how science is being harnessed in the ever more successful fight against cancer. In a snapshot of where the UK is in the fight, the leading doctors in their field give a fascinating insight into how the trial process works and how new treatments come on line.

Debra was diagnosed with a rare form of sarcoma which has now spread to her lungs. Difficult to treat with chemotherapy or radiotherapy, consultant Rowland Illing offers her a treatment called microwave ablation, a cutting edge procedure which can destroy tumours without the need for invasive surgery.

Dennis has been living with lymphoma for eight years. With all conventional treatments exhausted, Dennis and his wife are faced with a stark choice - either palliative "end-of-life" care, or an experimental drug, never before used in the UK, and being tested by scientist Rakesh Popat

Jeffery fears he has prostate cancer, there's a family history of the disease. Diagnosis of prostate cancer can be hit and miss, with a chance of false results from traditional biopsies. Jeffery decides to take part in a trial of a new diagnostic process. It should mean that when his consultant, Hashim Ahmed delivers the news, it will be with more certainty.

For Pete that day has passed, he knows he has prostate cancer and is gradually coming to terms with all that that may mean. His father died from prostate cancer, and he fears the same fate if he doesn't do something radical. The possible side effects of surgery are alarming - impotence, incontinence and worse. His doctor, Louise Dickinson offers him another option, the trial of a new experimental treatment that uses high intensity ultrasound.

In early trials side-effects seem to be dramatically reduced. The risk, however, is that the treatment is so new that no-one can yet say how successful it will be in preventing the cancer returning.

Using CGI the film is a scientific exploration told through the personal journeys of the individuals taking part in the trials. Sensitively filmed at home and at hospital, the film explores the emotional realities of living with cancer combined with the intense anticipation of potentially finding a cure. Through their relationship with the clinicians, we learn the science, and discover the success or failures of their treatment as they do.

The documentary is being broadcast as part of the Stand Up To Cancer Season, a joint national fundraiser from Channel 4 and Cancer Research UK culminating in a live TV event on Friday 17 October.

Image

Clockwise from left: Dr Rakesh Popat, Consultant Haematologist at UCH, Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at the UCL Cancer Institute; Jeffery Sugarman, patient; Dr. Louise Dickinson, Clinical Fellow in Urology UCH; Debra Cox, patient.