Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30 | Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (GMT)
24 March 2015 09:07
Specialist travel insurance is available to bowel cancer patients
Improved treatment for bowel cancer could be in sight after scientists found a link between the genetic changes in tumours and the responses they trigger in the body's immune system.
The Focus4 trial is already offering to bowel cancer patients drugs that are tailored to their specific genetic profile. But the research team at the University of Birmingham says its new findings could result in further improvements to the personalised treatments.
The study, which was funded by Cancer Research UK, discovered that some genetic mutations in bowel tumours are more likely than others to trigger an immunity response.
Both bowel cancer survivors and those still having treatment for the disease can find it hard to find the cover they need to go on holiday but specialist cancer travel insurance is available.
What the researchers say
The scientists say the findings suggest that doctors could assess whether immunotherapy treatments are suitable for their patients by examining their tumours' genetic profiles.
Treatments aimed at boosting the immunity response and switching off the immune suppression linked with some genetic mutations could also be developed, they hope.
Professor Gary Middleton, who led the research, says the findings could provide a further boost to current work to personalise immunotherapy treatment for bowel cancer patients.
The team used The Cancer Genomic Atlas database to examine the link between the immune system and genetic mutations in bowel cancer.
What Cancer Research UK says
Cancer Research UK says although the link established in the study is not yet fully understood, it is nevertheless strong.
The charity's senior science communication manager, Nell Barrie, says more research to shed light on the different immunity responses to bowel cancer could result in new drugs being developed.
The study was published in the Oncoimmunology journal.
28 September 2016
The English tourism industry is predicted to grow faster than the overall economy every year for the next decade, according to new research.
[more...]
27 September 2016
Monarch Airlines says its flights are operating as normal amid fears the firm is in financial trouble.
24 September 2016
Slim people who look physically healthy may still be at increased chance of being diagnosed with bowel cancer if they have raised insulin levels, according new research.
23 September 2016
Theresa May is being urged to give the go-ahead for flights to resume between the UK and Sharm el-Sheikh by the head of the cross-party parliamentary group on Egypt.
22 September 2016
Budget airline Jet2.com is to open its first base in the south of England at Stansted.
21 September 2016
Smoking rates have dropped to the lowest level on record in England, new figures show, suggesting messages about the health effects of cigarettes are hitting home.
20 September 2016
Concerns have been raised over flight disruptions caused by heavy drinking among passengers.
17 September 2016
British Airways' decision to launch direct flights from London to Tehran earlier this month positions Iran as one of the hottest destinations to visit in 2017, according to experts.
16 September 2016
More than 100 flights have been cancelled as French air traffic controllers go on strike again.
15 September 2016
Two thirds of MPs would support an expansion at Heathrow.
14 September 2016
TripAdvisor is launching a new homepage, making the booking of holiday activities and tours even easier.
13 September 2016
Travellers are to be charged to use fast lanes to get through passport checks in an attempt to cut queues.