New Team Injects State-of-the-Art Genomics Into East of England Cancer Care
A new expert team is injecting a genetic boost into personalised cancer care across the East of England.
Six Genomic Clinical Practitioners are working with hospitals and care teams to ensure that local patients can benefit from huge advances in genomic medicine.
Genomic medicine aims to transform cancer prevention, prediction, diagnosis and treatment by using insights from a patient’s complete set of DNA – called a genome – to inform the best treatment for each individual.
Set up by the East of England Cancer Alliance, the new team is the first of its kind in England and supports a national strategy to embed genomics in the NHS, enabling staff and patients to access state-of-the-art tests and treatment in conditions where genomics can play a part, such as certain cancers.
Over the next ten years, the NHS plans to routinely offer genomic testing to all cancer patients where there is clinical benefit. This will deliver:
- faster and more accurate diagnosis
- personalised precision treatment
- greater access to clinical trials
- identification of family members who could be at risk
Leading the team is Consultant Medical Oncologist Dr Brent O’Carrigan, who is Clinical Cancer Lead at the NHS East Genomics Laboratory Hub, based in Cambridge.
He said: “It is widely expected that many future cancer treatments will be targeted to tumours based on specific genomic and other biomarkers.
“Comprehensive genomic sequencing will offer cancer patients a more precise diagnosis at the start of their treatment.
“This can provide better information, guiding faster access to precision treatments or surgery based on the complete genomic profile of the cancer together with other diagnostic information, avoiding drug reactions and enabling access to clinical trials.
“Crucially, it may also identify family members who could be at risk to enable early intervention.”
The new Genomic Clinical Practitioners are working across the region to ensure that genomics is embedded in cancer care from the patient’s first GP appointment through to aftercare and follow ups like genetic counselling.
Service leads are Liz Lawrence and Melissa Cambell-Kelly.
Liz has worked as an oncology nurse for 23 years; she has a Post Graduate Diploma in Genomics and is about to start a Masters Degree in Genomics.
She said: “As co-leads we are determined to increase genomic literacy across the East of England, working with colleagues to embed genomic testing and providing advice for all service users in cancer care.”
Melissa has a background in nursing and midwifery and for the last 15 years has been involved in clinical research nursing, with the last six years as lead nurse for cancer research at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Her interest in genomics grew while working on the 100,000 Genomes Project. She has just completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Genomics.
Melissa said: “We are passionate about the next generation of cancer care and are proud to be leading this innovative project with our team of Genomic Practitioners.”
Consultant oncologist Professor Peter Hoskin, Clinical Director at the East of England Cancer Alliance, said: "Genomic medicine has the potential to offer a greater understanding of how our genetic makeup impacts on our health and the response to treatments.
"This innovative project establishes the East of England as a trailblazer for genomics excellence in NHS cancer care. It sets out a model for the future."
Notes to Editors:
The East of England Cancer Alliance works in partnership with six Integrated Care Boards across the region to improve patient experience and cancer care outcomes for a population of more than six million people.
The Cancer Alliance works closely with clinical staff in primary and secondary care, senior healthcare leaders, charities and other partners, and has an active Patient Partnership Group at the heart of its work.
The aim is to reduce variation in cancer care across the region and improve access to high quality, evidence-based interventions across the whole care pathway.
For more information, see Home :: East of England Cancer Alliance
Genomics is the study of a person’s DNA, their genes and how they interact to influence the growth, development and the working of the body.
Genomic medicine can be used in population health to predict when individuals are at a high risk of developing certain conditions, such as cancer. It can identify individuals carrying certain genes and/or variants that are inherited and run in families. With the appropriate support in place, genomic medicine can empower individuals and family members to access interventions to either prevent the development of conditions, treat the condition, or manage their individual risk to prevent more serious health impacts. It can also provide an earlier and more precise diagnosis which for individuals with rare disease can end years of uncertainty.
The NHS Long Term Plan aspires to offer more extensive genomic testing to patients diagnosed with cancers.
The NHS has a long history of genomics dating back to the first genetic laboratory services in the 1960s. It is ten years since the ground-breaking 100,000 Genomes Project was announced to sequence 100,000 whole genomes of patients in the NHS to support clinical care and to drive research.
That work is now being taken forward through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (GMS) – a world leading genomic healthcare service, delivering cutting-edge benefits for patients in the NHS.
For more information, see NHS England » Accelerating genomic medicine in the NHS