Health UK (Commonwealth Union) – The largest-ever review of clinical trials in cancer screening, prevention, and early detection (SPED) has been released. This comprehensive analysis, supported by funding from the National Cancer Research Institute and published in BMC Cancer, has unveiled significant findings.
The review discovered that a substantial 61% of all SPED trials were concentrated on just three cancer types: colorectal, breast, and cervical cancer. Notably, this percentage contrasted with the limited 6.4% focus on lung cancer and a mere 1.8% on liver cancer. Strikingly, lung and liver cancer account for 26.3% of global cancer-related deaths, exceeding the 19.3% attributed to colorectal, breast, and cervical cancer.
Researchers have identified areas with unmet needs worldwide, underscoring the necessity for increased research and funding. A staggering 88% of all SPED trials were carried out in North America, Europe, or Asia, while there was a notable scarcity of trials in Africa and South America. The number of trials conducted per capita in Asia was also notably low.
The results underscore significant disparities between the proportion of SPED trials for specific cancer types and their global disease burden. For instance, colorectal cancer accounted for 32.9% of all SPED trials, despite constituting only 9.4% of global cancer-related deaths. In contrast, gastric cancers made up just 1.5% of SPED trials while contributing to 7.7% of global cancer deaths.
This groundbreaking study, spearheaded by researchers from the universities of Nottingham and Manchester, engaged scientists from seven different academic institutions across England and Scotland.
Dr. Emma O’Dowd, a Consultant Respiratory Physician and Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham, emphasized the urgency of the matter, indicating that cancer is the most prevalent cause of death and disability in the UK and the second most common cause globally. Global annual cancer incidence is projected to increase to 27.5 million by 2040, marking a 62% rise from 2018. For a majority of cancers, prevention and early detection represent the most effective means of reducing mortality.
“We looked at all trials published between 2007 and 2020 covering cancer screening, prevention, and early diagnosis to map what research had been done by cancer type, trial focus and geographical area, and to highlight research gaps.
“Over 117,000 papers were identified, and 2888 trials were included. There were disparities in terms of geographical location, type of research conducted and a clear focus on a small number of cancer types. We hope that this important piece of work can be used to guide and prioritise future trial funding.”
Dr. Samuel Merriel, who serves as a General Practitioner (GP) and holds the position of NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer at the University of Manchester, made an important point, indicating that governments have finite resources at their disposal for cancer healthcare, as well as a limited budget for cancer research. Up until this point, there has been no comprehensive overview of all the studies concerning cancer prevention, cancer screening, and the early detection of cancer.
“We hope that these findings and the database of studies we have generated can be used by policymakers, healthcare commissioners, and cancer research funders to address the disparities in cancer screening, prevention, and early diagnosis trials.”
Dr. Elizabeth Roundhill, a Research Fellow within the School of Medicine at the University of Leeds, shared her insights, noting, that their investigation has unveiled a striking discrepancy: while lung and liver cancers jointly account for over a quarter of global cancer-related fatalities, they receive relatively less attention in screening, prevention, and early diagnosis (SPED) trials. Moreover, they identified a notable absence of trials pertaining to cancers prevalent in children and young individuals, such as sarcomas, blood cancers, and brain tumors.
