Welcome to our Public Beta Site - What does this mean?
Dublin: 20 °C Wednesday 23 May, 2012

Irish scientists make ‘important discovery’ on lung cancer

Image: Qi qi jx/AP/Press Association Images

A TEAM OF researchers working in Ireland have made discoveries which could prove key to the development of future treatments for lung cancer, according to the Irish Cancer Society.

The developments relate to two enzymes which control how lung tumours progress and grow. They could potentially lead to new treatments bringing lung cancer under control, the project’s leader has said.

Research was carried out at Dublin’s St James’s Hospital, using a ‘biobank’ of lung cancer samples from 204 patients in Ireland.

The results are being highlighted ahead of a meeting of lung cancer experts, the British Thoracic Oncology Group Annual Conference, which takes place in Dublin later this week.

Professor Ken O’Byrne, who led the study, said:

Our research has significantly improved our knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms that control the survival of tumour cells in the lungs and we are confident that it will lead to new therapies that target lung cancer and make it controllable in the future.

The Irish Cancer Society, which funded the research, has also hailed the development calling it an “important discovery”.

“Prof. O’Byrne’s research shows that discoveries being made here in Ireland can and hopefully will lead to improvements for lung cancer patients,” ICS head of research John Fitzpatrick said.

More: Cervical cancer dangers highlighted as awareness week begins>

Read Next:

Comments (10 Comments)

  • Joan Featherstone 24/01/12 #
    Report this comment

    Wow impressive! We have a lot of talent here in Ireland we should be so proud of considering the size of the population! Well done to all involved.

    Reply
  • Trisha Brennan 24/01/12 #
    Report this comment

    My mother died 15 years ago today from lung cancer. Hopefully, this breakthrough will save others from this horrible disease.

    Reply
  • Melissa Knowles 24/01/12 #
    Report this comment

    A great breakthrough, but will it ever be allowed to develop properly-as in lead to a cure? The fact is, the companies who develop drugs to prolong the lives of people will never allow a true cure to become available. It is a billion dollar industry and the continual treatment and search for advances in medicine makes a lot of people very rich.

    Also, if the people who die from cancer every year were allowed to live then the world would become so overpopulated it would be unsustainable. You are talking about tens of millions of people every year.

    I’ve lost more friends and family to cancer than most, but I sincerely doubt we will ever see a cure. Longer living with the disease is possible, but that’s the best we can hope for. And I’m not even sure that’s a good thing as longer living with cancer means longer suffering.

    Reply
    • Gerard Murphy 24/01/12 #
      Report this comment

      Put your tinfoil hat back on.
      If researchers found genuine cures, the word would get out.

    • Paddy Galloway 24/01/12 #
      Report this comment

      First off the highest number of people to die from cancer in one year was 7 million in 2007 so tens of millions is an exagaration, And also this cure is only for lung cancer. But in the future if there is a cure for all cancers im all for it, Over population is not a problem in my eyes, if everyone in the whole world slept in tents side by side in rows we would only fill up texas,! So i dont see it being a problem in the near future. But if there ever comes a time when measures need to be taken i think it would be easy enough to resolve,
      STEP 1 : throw brian cowen into the irish sea, making world sea levels rise by 25 metres but at the same time creating 100000 acres for food production

    • poppysmith 24/01/12 #
      Report this comment

      WOW..tell that to the hundreds of children that die every year from Cancer Melissa “Don’t worry children about never getting to grow up, You’re doing a great thing by dying as your preventing over population”

      If you’ve really lost anyone to cancer or have been through it yourself you wouldn’t make such a disgraceful and insulting comment. And what exactly do you mean by “Longer living with the disease but that’s the best we can hope for. And I’m not even sure that’s a good thing as longer living with cancer means longer suffering.”
      Loads of people every year beat cancer and go on to live normal, healthy and happy lives. I am so so insulted by your ignorant comments and complete lack of knowledge. You should be ashamed of yourself

  • Melissa Knowles 24/01/12 #
    Report this comment

    @Gerard-Try thinking outside the box once in a while. Might do you some good.

    @paddy-overpopulation is not about there being enough space to fit people in. It’s about the stress it puts on the resources available to the world and these are already well beyond their limits. Maybe you are ok with the extinction of thousands of species just so we can fit more people in, but not everyone is.

    And the UN expects cancer figures to be over 13 million per year in the next 15 years. Time to start looking forward and not backwards.

    Reply
    • Gerard Murphy 24/01/12 #
      Report this comment

      Thinking outside of the box is something I excel at, subscribing to far fetched conspiracy theories is not one of my strengths. I prefer logic and reason.

    • Sean Armstrong 24/01/12 #
      Report this comment

      I was going to compose a rebuttal of Melissa’s claims about withholding a cure for cancer, but the thought was so ridiculous that I couldn’t summon the strength to write it. Maybe in the afternoon

  • Alan Mooney 24/01/12 #
    Report this comment

    I think she’s watching waaaaaay too much tv!!!!! Her comments actually made me laugh out loud!!!!!

    Reply

Add New Comment