Littleborough councillors don lab coats to learn about life-saving cancer research

Councillors Janet Emsley and John Hartley (left)

Littleborough Councillors Janet Emsley and John Hartley met with Cancer Research UK scientists last week (Friday 3 June) to find out more about their life-saving work and the charity’s efforts to ‘stub out’ smoking-related cancers.

Councillors Emsley and Hartley joined councillors from across Greater Manchester to witness ground breaking research at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute and the recently-opened Manchester Cancer Research Centre - a partnership between Cancer Research UK, The University of Manchester and The Christie.

They learnt more about cancer imaging technology and the development of new cancer drugs, as well as the clinical trials which are helping to ensure that discoveries made in the lab are translated into the best treatment for cancer patients as quickly as possible.

Manchester is also home to Cancer Research UK’s Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence.

In Greater Manchester, nearly 21% of adults smoke. This is higher than the English average of 18%.

The lethal habit is the single biggest preventable cause of cancer in the UK, causing nearly a fifth of all cancer cases, such as the majority of lung cancers.

During the visit, the councillors found out about how Manchester researchers are leading the way in the fight against the disease, which is the number one cause of deaths from cancer.

They visited a flagship lab researching how lung cancer cells break free from tumours and circulate around the body, and another focused on understanding cell signalling mechanisms that go wrong in different cancer types, including lung cancer.

Councillor Janet Emsley, Chairwoman of the Health and Wellbeing Board, said: “Cancer has a huge impact on families in Rochdale. So it has been fantastic to visit the Manchester laboratories and hear about how research is offering new hope to people here on our doorstep and across the country.

“Cancer Research UK is helping to turn the tables on cancer, but it is clear there’s also a critical role for politicians to play in helping to encourage smokers to quit and giving them the best opportunities to do so. That’s why I’ll be talking to my constituents and colleagues about what I can do to support local Stop Smoking Services.”

George Butterworth, Cancer Research UK’s Tobacco Control Policy Manager, said “Stopping smoking is the best thing an individual can do for their health, and reducing the harm from tobacco is the best thing a local authority can do to improve public health in their area.

“Cancer Research UK is committed to preventing cancer, wherever possible, and our vision is to achieve a tobacco free UK by 2035 - where fewer than 5% of adults smoke. We are calling on local authorities to provide the very best Stop Smoking Services for their residents, and we will continue to call on the Chancellor to improve funding for these vital services by implementing a levy on tobacco industry profits.”

Professor Caroline Dive, Director of the Manchester Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, said: “While we continue to invest the money raised for Cancer Research UK into life-saving lung cancer research, and to make significant progress on these hard-to-beat cancers, our aim is to both prevent cancer and to treat it to the very best of our abilities. But while lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in Greater Manchester and beyond, we will not stop working tirelessly to make lives better for cancer patients now and in the future.”

To help save more lives from tobacco, Cancer Research UK’s ‘Big Tobacco, Cough Up’ campaign is calling on the Government to make the tobacco industry pay for vital Stop Smoking Services.

To get involved and help people in Greater Manchester get the support they need to quit smoking, visit cruk.org/big-tobacco-cough-up