Cancer trials researcher says mum is 'living with a ticking time-bomb that requires urgent investment'

A cancer researcher has described her mum’s diagnosis of stage four breast cancer as a "ticking time-bomb". Anna Song, who runs clinical trials to identify the best new ways to detect and treat cancer at the Cancer Research UK funded Southampton Clinical Trials Unit (SCTU), is backing the charity’s appeal calling for urgent support to overcome what her peers have penned as "the defining health issue of our time".

Cancer cases are on the rise in the South East of England and across the world. The pregnant mum-of-two from Chandlers Ford, is supporting the launch of Cancer Research UK’s More Research, Less Cancer campaign, which is aiming to raise £400m to help battle the disease.

Anna, who has worked with young cancer patients as a clinical pharmacist, said: “When I was working with children on the paediatric oncology ward at University Hospital Southampton, it really pulled at your heart strings. Part of my role in checking and dispensing treatments was looking ahead to what future options there were available for these patients but sadly, there is a limit to what you can give them."

She continued: "It was then that I decided to work in research and focused on oncology because no matter what cancer people are facing, or who they are, we must have options."

When Anna was just a child, her mum Janet, 62, was first diagnosed with breast cancer. She explained: "I watched her lose her hair and go through invasive surgery – a double mastectomy to reduce the risk of her cancer returning and it was a time that I grew up earlier than I perhaps would have done otherwise.  

"Ten years later, when I was then working in clinical trials, she was re-diagnosed, this time with stage four breast cancer. My world fell apart and I booked a one-way ticket to America where she now lives, to be with her, not knowing when I would return."

She added: "Thanks to the progress we have seen in treatment options and the access that she has to drugs in America, she is living well with her cancer and is regularly monitored, but it feels like a continual, ticking time-bomb."

Latest figures from Cancer Research UK reveal that around 110,000 deaths could be avoided in the UK alone over the next two decades if cancer mortality rates are reduced by 15% by 2040. This could mean around 14,000 fewer people in the South East dying from the disease over this time. 

Anna and a coalition of the world’s most renowned cancer researchers have stated that we’re at a "tipping point" that could transform how we understand and treat cancer and requires a united and collective worldwide response, similar to what we saw with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Joining to call for urgent investment in research is Southampton Clinical Trials Unit director, Prof Gareth Griffiths, from Romsey. He and his fellow scientists have written a letter to help recruit those with “the means and vision to bring about a better world” to help tackle the disease. 

Prof Griffiths said: "Ideas that were once science fiction, are becoming science fact. Now, we’re standing on the brink of discoveries like new blood tests that could detect cancer at an earlier stage, and algorithms that could predict someone’s cancer risk and stop it from developing in the first place.

"Discoveries that ultimately have the power to give millions in the South – and across the world – more time with their loved ones. That’s why I’m calling for more support and urging philanthropists to join the army of fundraisers and donors that power the charity’s life-saving research every day.  Beating cancer will take scientists, researchers, clinicians and entrepreneurs joining forces across disciplines and continents. Together, we can go further and faster in the fight against the disease."  

It comes at a time when philanthropists are being encouraged to give money towards research. With Cancer Research UK stating that, excluding research funded by industry, charities fund 62 per cent of cancer research in the UK, compared to government’s 38 per cent.

Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the South East, Elisa Mitchell, said: “The more we understand about cancer, the more we understand the scale of the challenge. So, we’re grateful to Anna and Prof Griffiths for lending their voices to this ambitious campaign that could have far-reaching effects for people across the region. "

Mitchell continued: "Nearly 1 in 2 of us will be diagnosed with cancer in our lifetime so, now more than ever, we need the support of every person and every pound. As the scientific community has underlined, beating cancer requires a collective effort. We’re grateful to all our supporters, fundraisers and donors for their generosity and the vital part they play in helping us to ensure more people can live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer."

Sarah McCann is a Trends Writer for NationalWorld who specialises in stories around TV, Film and Health. If you liked this article you can follow Sarah on X (Twitter) here. You can also share your thoughts in the comment section below.