Breast Cancer Now and Prostate Cancer Research have joined forces to fund up to £600,000 of new research to tackle the spread of both cancers to the bones, known as bone metastasis.
Nearly all types of cancer can spread to the bones, but both breast and prostate, as well as being the most common cancers in women and men in the UK, are more likely to spread to the bones than other cancers.
In the UK, 55,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. About 80% of men who eventually die from prostate cancer, and 70% of women who die from breast cancer, have secondary tumours in their bones.
Breast and prostate cancers are both hormonally driven and treated in similar ways, such as through surgery, hormone therapy, radiation, and targeted therapies. However, once these cancers spread to the bone, they are rarely curable.
Bone metastases can also cause debilitating pain and bone fractures, adding to the suffering of patients and their families.
The new pot of funding, known as the Bone Metastasis Collaboration Fund, will be open to researchers seeking to investigate how tumours spread to the bones in either or both cancers, and projects exploring the fundamental mechanisms of bone metastasis common to many cancers.
Dr Simon Vincent, director of research, support and influencing at Breast Cancer Now, said: “Every year in the UK, around 11,500 women die from breast cancer and 70% of them will have experienced bone metastases, which can cause extreme pain and is almost always an indication that the cancer has sadly become incurable.
“We’re delighted to have partnered with Prostate Cancer Research to fund crucial research into why and how cancer spreads to the bones and we look forward to seeing how the findings can help us develop kinder, more effective treatments for people with breast or prostate cancer.”
Dr Naomi Elster, director of research and communications at Prostate Cancer Research, said: “We are excited by what partnering with Breast Cancer Now could mean for people with prostate or breast cancer. It is a tragedy that despite the many advances we have made, bone metastasis is still damaging and ending far too many lives in both prostate and breast cancers.
“We believe that our research efforts to tackle cancer that takes root in the bone will go further and faster if we work together and learn from each other than if we were both trying to tackle this huge problem independently.
“Ultimately, we are working towards a future where cancer need not be feared.”
Lita Williams, 66, from Boxhill in Surrey, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008. During surgery to remove the tumour, surgeons found the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes, and further scans revealed the cancer was also in Lita's spine.
"Being diagnosed with secondary breast cancer was devastating," Lita says. "I thought the surgery would be the worst of it, so to learn that I needed more treatment, and that it would be ongoing for the rest of my life, was a huge shock."
Lita had a mastectomy followed by six months of chemotherapy and then radiotherapy. She says: "The side effects from the chemotherapy treatment were awful and I struggled a lot with my body image and self-esteem after surgery. I felt butchered, I was in so much pain, I lost a lot of weight, and I lost all my hair. Thankfully it grew back stronger and curlier than before, and for the last 15 years I've been on trastuzumab to try and control the growth of the cancer in my spine."
Lita receives trastuzumab via injection every three weeks. The targeted therapy is used to stop the cancer spreading further and works by disrupting processes within cells that help the cancer grow.
"Now, I have regular check-ups and even though I know it's there, the cancer doesn't stop me from living my life," she says. "But there definitely needs to be more research into bone metastasis, because I had no idea that it could spread from my breast to my spine. How that happened is still a total mystery to me."
John Long, 83, from Petts Wood near Orpington, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012. During a routine bladder screening, he was asked if he would be willing to have a digital rectal examination. Further scans and biopsies revealed that John had prostate cancer which had spread to his ribs and spine.
John received hormone therapy and was initially told the treatment was likely to become ineffective in the next 12-18 months. The treatment also caused side effects like fatigue and hot flushes. However, over 10 years later, John is optimistic about advancements in treatment and feels like he has been one of the lucky ones.
John said: “It is sad that, despite increasing awareness, so many patients with cancer of the prostate (including me!) are still not diagnosed early enough for a cure. Thanks to advances such as androgen deprivation therapy we can generally enjoy many years of active and happy life, but we can never forget that bone metastasis will ultimately bring that to an end.”
John added: “It is wonderful that this partnership between two charities means more research will be done to ensure that we could continue our active lives without fear of bone metastasis, eventually dying ‘with’ cancer rather than ‘from’ it.”
Bone metastasis is a complex process but insufficiently understood. People with breast cancer which spreads to their bones survive for an average of three years following the secondary diagnosis, while only a third of men with prostate cancer live longer than five years once diagnosed with bone metastasis.
Academic researchers based in the UK can visit https://www.prostate-cancer-research.org.uk/pcr-funding-opportunities/ for more information on the Bone Metastasis Collaboration Fund, which is open for applications from Thursday 5 September until Monday 28 October 2024.
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