That Cancer Conversation

When thinking about cancer treatment, our first thoughts may be about surgery or chemotherapy. But what about what we eat? In this episode, we hear from Dr Clare Shaw, a lead cancer dietician and therapy researcher who has written multiple books with the Royal Marsden Hospital, including The Cancer Cookbook. And Professor Karen Vousden, co-founder of Faeth Therapeutics, a company looking at how diets could help beat cancer. From taste changes to the keto diet, we sit down with our knowledgeable guests to help us scratch the surface of the vast world of diet and cancer. And help us navigate through the question ‘Could food improve cancer treatment?’ Find out more about our fantastic guests: Dr Clare Shaw  Prof. Karen Vousden Discover more about the research and resources discussed: British Dietetics Association diet myths Faeth Therapeutics About Cancer pages on diet and cancer For more cancer stories from us, check out Cancer news!And if you have a question you’d like us to answer or a topic you want us to explore, you can send an email to sciencesurgery@cancer.org.uk and tell us about your idea! To get notified when new episodes drop you can subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Kicking off the second season of That Cancer Conversation, we talk about sex, intimacy and cancer.From chemotherapy to sex shops, we sit down with three amazing guests to discuss sexual wellbeing for those living with and beyond cancer. Cancer nurse and psychosexual therapist, Dr Isabel White speaks about the various ways cancer can impact our sexual wellbeing and shares some tips on how to have conversations about sex with health professionals.   Sex with Cancer co-founder, Brian Lobel tells us about the online initiative he created with his friend Joon-Lynn Goh, and the vital resources that have been gathered along the journey. And Tara shares her personal experience of having cervical cancer and exploring her body and sexuality beyond treatment. If you’d like to learn more about sex and cancer, here are some resources:About CancerSex with Cancer College of Sexual & Relationship TherapistsLive Through This Perci healthFor more cancer stories from us, check out Cancer news!And if there are cancer conversations you want us to have or topics you want us to explore, send us an email at sciencesurgery@cancer.org.uk to tell us about your idea.To get updated on more episodes subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. 

That Cancer Conversation is back for season 2! Join our digital news team, Amy, Jacob, Sophie, and Tim, as they bring together the stories and the science behind cancer every month. 

Cancer has inhabited earth for longer than humans have, but we don’t have a one-fits-all, silver-bullet cure. From Egyptian mummies and medieval wolves, to precision medicine and microscopic evolution, we take a look at the past to find out why curing cancer is more complex than we think, and what is needed next to get us closer to a future without cancer.  In this latest episode of That Cancer Conversation, we hear from Dr Alanna Skuse, Dr Mariam Jamal-Hanjani and Sir Leszek Borysiewicz to help us scratch the surface of the age-old question, “Why haven’t we cured cancer?” Find out more about our three fantastic guests: Dr Alanna Skuse  Dr Mariam Jamal-Hanjani  Sir Leszek Borysiewicz  Find out more about the research discussed: A history of cancer – Construction of Cancer in Early Modern England TRACERx trial The PEACE trial  You can listen and subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode, we're joined by Sigourney Bell, a researcher at the University of Cambridge, whose work looks to find new treatments for supratentorial ependymoma, a rare children's brain cancer.Outside of the lab, Sigourney is the co-founder of Black in Cancer, a global organisation that aims to strengthen the network between Black people in the cancer space whilst highlighting Black excellence in cancer research and medicine.During Black History Month, Black in Cancer runs a week of events across various social media platforms and organises webinars to help educate researchers, medical experts, and those affected by cancer.We hear about what the challenges are of working on a rare children's cancer, find out what led to the founding of Black in Cancer, and learn what's on the agenda from October 10th - 15th for Black in Cancer Week 2021.How to find out more about Black in Cancer:Follow Sigourney at @siggs28 on Twitter and InstagramCheck out @blackincancer on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.Black in Cancer websiteCheck out #BlackinCancerWeek21To read more about the topics discussed:Delivering the future of paediatric brain tumour therapy - Cancer Research UKGilbertson Lab - Cancer Research UK Cambridge InstituteThe Legacy of Henrietta Lacks - Johns Hopkins MedicineHenrietta Lacks: science must right a historical wrong - NatureHenrietta Lacks’ estate sues drug company that sold her cells - The GuardianYou can listen and subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

From malaria to multiple sclerosis, plants have given us compounds which help treat countless conditions. But could a tree growing on your street hold the next life-changing drug?From Madagascar to a Kew Gardens in London, we explore how scientists across the globe use indigenous knowledge and pharmaceutical science to help develop the treatments of tomorrow.And in a world-first, a cannabis-derived drug, known as Sativex, is being trialled in combination with chemotherapy to see if it could be used to help people with a certain type of aggressive brain cancer.The botanical history of medicine (2:04)How do we find the plant medicines of tomorrow? (6:10)The search for a chemical needle in a botanical haystack (9:09)Making drugs: converting cuttings into capsules (14:02)Is it more complex than putting a leaf in a pill? (18:28)Sativex: trialling a cannabis-derived spray on brain cancer (22:50)Do we know how cannabinoids work on brain tumour cells? (26:51)Cannabis and cancer: it's not that simple (28:43)ARISTOCRAT is a randomised phase II study of temozolomide with or without cannabinoids in patients with recurrent glioblastoma.It's being funded by The Brain Tumour Charity and co-ordinated by the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit at the University of Birmingham.ARISTOCRAT is due to begin recruiting just over 230 patients across all UK nations in early 2022.To learn more about the ARISTOCRAT trial, you can check out:World-first trial tests cannabis-based drug on aggressive brain tumours - University of LeedsGlioblastoma Research: Phase II Clinical Trial of Cannabis Derivatives - The Brain Tumour CharityIf you’d like to talk to someone, our nurses are available Monday to Friday 9-5pm on freephone 0808 800 4040.

For the first episode of That Cancer Conversation, we explore infertility and cancer.From teenage body worries to an intercontinental surrogacy story, we chat to Max, Kreena and Eleanor – 3 people whose cancer journeys affected their fertility in some way.Is freezing sperm and egg cells the only option? Not necessarily.We sit down with Professor Richard Anderson, deputy director of the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Reproductive Health, to explore options that are available and what the future of fertility medicine could look like.If you would like to learn more about cancer and fertility, here are some resources:·     Cancer Fertility and Me·     Fertility and chemotherapy·     Your options and coping with losing your fertilityIf you’d like to talk to someone, Cancer Research UK nurses are available Monday to Friday 9-5pm on freephone 0808 800 4040.

Join our new podcast, That Cancer Conversation, where we explore some of the most fascinating personal stories and cutting-edge innovations that you probably didn’t know about a disease that most people don't want to talk about.