Professor Humphris with his lab team
We recently had an update from Breast Cancer Now:
Breast Cancer Now is the UK’s largest breast cancer charity dedicated to funding research into the disease. It is our belief that if we all act now, by 2050, everyone who develops breast cancer will live – and live well.
Many people who have been diagnosed with breast cancer can live in fear of their disease coming back after treatment. Professor Gerry Humphris at the University of St Andrews is trying to change this. He is working with radiographers to design a training package which would support them to address any fears their patients may have about their disease returning.
Professor Humphris’ FORECAST 2 trial follows the success of FORECAST, a study which investigated factors affecting the severity of this fear of recurrence. It found that nearly a third of patients begin to develop fears that their cancer will return as they near the end of their treatment, which is typically radiotherapy.
In the FORECAST 2 trial, which has been generously supported by a grant from the Hospital Saturday Fund, Professor Humphris and his team have been looking at how radiographers interact with their breast cancer patients to find ways in which care could be improved and how these improvements could be implemented. Professor Humphris’ work is providing important evidence that radiographers could play a major role in reassuring patients during their treatment, which ultimately could help to reduce patient anxiety and may prevent their fears from having a detrimental effect on their quality of life.
On behalf of everyone at Breast Cancer Now, our research community and the patients we support, thank you to the Hospital Saturday Fund for helping to improve lives through ground-breaking research.
For more details on Breast Cancer Now
Visit the website on https://breastcancernow.org/
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