Improving breast cancer treatment

In the UK, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer, leading to around 11,500 deaths every year. While current treatments are effective for many, for others the disease will return. Immunotherapy has proven to offer a long-term solution to a growing number of cancers but as yet is less effective for breast cancer. With more research, we are confident we can change that.

Immunotherapy works by harnessing the power of the body’s own immune system to kill cancer cells. It can work where other treatments fail and has the added benefit of having far fewer harmful side effects than traditional treatments, like chemotherapy. Also, by training the body’s immune response against cancer, immunotherapy can keep cancer away for longer.

Clinical Lecturer and Acting Consultant in Medical Oncology Dr Constantinos Savva’s initial studies show that Metformin – a drug usually used in the treatment of diabetes – is improving the immune response of patients with breast cancer. Short term use of Metformin has increased the number of tumour-infiltrating immune cells, especially in patients with a high BMI. The hope is that this will increase the effectiveness of immunotherapy in breast cancer patients.

With your help, we can continue this promising research. Constantinos will work alongside the renowned Crick Institute to enhance our understanding of immune resistance and pathway biology. He will also work with artificial intelligence colleagues at Southampton to harness advanced imaging techniques. He will be based at the Centre for Cancer Immunology , the UK’s first centre of its kind, funded entirely through philanthropic donations.

You can help us lay the foundations for a five-year clinical trial that will give hope to patients and their families.