Speakers

• Harpal Kumar
• Nicola Sturgeon MSP
• Sir Kenneth Calman
• Dr Laurence Gruer OBE
• Professor Nora Kearney
• Professor Roland Wolf
• Jeff Hurst

Harpal Kumar
Chief Executive, Cancer Research UK

Harpal became Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK on Monday 2 April 2007. He gained a Masters in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cambridge and an MBA as a Baker Scholar from Harvard Business School. After a brief period working as a research scientist with the UK Atomic Energy Authority, Harpal worked for four years in the London office of McKinsey and Co., specialising in advising pharmaceutical clients on strategic issues. He then became CEO of The Papworth Trust, which focuses on pioneering rehabilitation and housing services for people with acquired and congenital disabilities.

Harpal left Papworth in 1997 to become founding CEO of Nexan Group, a venture capital-backed medical device company, creating and marketing novel cardio-respiratory monitoring technologies to reduce premature mortality in patients with congestive heart failure.

Harpal joined Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT) in October 2002 to effect the merger of the former technology transfer companies of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund and Cancer Research Campaign and to create a new strategy and vision for the combined company.

He became Chief Operating Officer of Cancer Research UK in July 2005, responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operational management of the Charity. Harpal is a Board Member of the National Cancer Research Institute and Chairman of the Gray Cancer Research Trust.

Outline Address

• Welcome to the conference – the role of Scotland Against Cancer
• Introduction and achievements – much achieved – more to do
• Cancer Research UK’s Goals
• Our work in Scotland
• Campaigning – Smokefree, Cancer 2020 and Screening Matters
• Working together to beat cancer

Nicola Sturgeon MSP
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing

Nicola Sturgeon was born in Irvine, Ayrshire in 1970. She was educated at Greenwood Academy, Irvine and Glasgow University where she studied Law and was awarded LLB (Hons) and Diploma in Legal Practice.
Before entering the Scottish Parliament she worked as a solicitor at the Drumchapel Law and Money Advice Centre in Glasgow.
Nicola was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 1999 and again in 2003, representing the Glasgow Region. She was elected as MSP for the Glasgow Govan constituency in 2007.

Since entering the Scottish Parliament in 1999, she has been the party’s spokesperson on Education, Health & Community Care and Justice. In September 2004, she was elected Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party.
In May 2007, Nicola was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, with responsibility for the NHS, health service reform, allied healthcare services, acute and primary services, performance, quality and improvement framework, health promotion, sport, public health, health improvement, pharmaceutical services, food safety and dentistry, community care, older people, mental health, learning disability, substance misuse, social inclusion, equalities, anti-poverty measures, housing and regeneration.

Professor Sir Kenneth Calman KCB, MD, FRCS, DL, FRSE
Chancellor of The University of Glasgow

Sir Kenneth Calman is Chancellor of the University of Glasgow. He graduated in medicine (with commendation) in 1967 having obtained a number of distinctions and prizes throughout this course. He moved into the Department of Surgery in Glasgow and proceeded to the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons and an MD Thesis with Honours on Organ Preservation.

In 1972, he was the MRC Clinical Research Fellow at the Chester Beatty Research Institute in London and returned to Glasgow in 1974 as Professor of Oncology. He remained in that post for 10 years. In 1984 he became Dean of Postgraduate Medicine and Professor of Postgraduate Medical Education at the University of Glasgow and Consultant Physician with an interest in palliative care at Victoria Infirmary, Glasgow. In 1989 he was appointed Chief Medical Officer at the Scottish Home and Health Department and in September 1991 he became Chief Medical Officer in the Department of Health in London. He was a member of the Executive Board of the World Health Organisation, and its Chairman from 1998-9. He was Vice Chancellor and Warden of the University of Durham from 1998 until 2007. He was a Member of the Statistics Commission from 1999 until 2007. He is a member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and President of the Institute of medical Ethics.

He is a member of the Board of the British Library. He was awarded a KCB in 1996. His most recent books are “A study of storytelling, humour and learning in medicine” and “Medical Education: Past, present and future.” He lives in Glasgow and on the Island of Arran.

Outline Address

This presentation will review the principles behind a Scottish Cancer Strategy and will argue that the key is implementation.

A great deal of information is already available on the incidence and mortality from various cancers, their causation and their link to different groups in society. The demographics are well known and the issue of equity and equality and the impact of social class are well recorded. Full public, patient, professional and political involvement is essential if the strategy is to be effective.

The research councils and the cancer charities have a significant part to play in encouraging involvement and funding research. In addition the strategy should link to the broader national needs for health improvement. For example reducing cigarette smoking, alcohol abuse and obesity go beyond cancer causation and into a wide range of other illnesses. Both education and research are central to the process and this should be inter-disciplinary and involve patients and the public. Patients in particular need to be part of the team and involved in decision making.

We already know much which can and should be implemented. But there is much we still do not know including changing behaviour, cultural change, basic biomedical research and clinical research across all disciplines. Early diagnosis and prevention form an important part of improving cancer survival rates and the primary care teams in particular need to have a high index of suspicion when patients present with common symptoms which can mask an underlying problem. Teamwork amongst professional staff is an essential component of improving cancer care.

The range of special interests and expertise available in the team needs to be made fully available to patients and their families. This will provide a level of care which is holistic, compassionate and up to date.

Dr Laurence Gruer OBE
Director of Public Health Science, NHS Health Scotland

Dr Laurence Gruer OBE is Director of Public Health Science with NHS Health Scotland. He is interested in everything to do with preventing disease, improving health and reducing health inequalities. He is the lead author of a major new report to the UK Government on tobacco, alcohol and other drug use by young people and the recently published report of the Scottish Government’s Smoking Prevention Working Group. He worked for NHS Greater Glasgow from 1989 to 2001 where he tackled HIV infection, drug and alcohol misuse, sexual health, homelessness and mental health.

Outline Address

The public challenge posed by cancer is twofold: how best to prevent and how best to treat. I shall focus on the former. Successful prevention requires understanding of the causes of cancer. Progress in recent decades has been rapid and we now know that many cancers are readily preventable, through changes in the environment, in working practices and most of all in the way we live. How do we translate that knowledge into acceptable action? We have various tools at our disposal, for example: legislation, regulation, education and screening systems. How effective are they and how can they be made more effective? Why do so many people continue to smoke, burn themselves in the sun or fail to turn up for cervical screening? What should be our future priorities?

Professor Nora Kearney
Director, Cancer Care Research Centre

Nora Kearney is Professor of Cancer Care and Director of the Cancer Care Research Centre (CCRC), University of Stirling. Nora was appointed to the University of Stirling in January 2003 following a long clinical career in cancer nursing and previous academic positions at the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. As a cancer nurse she worked in the Beatson Oncology Centre for 11 years and today she continues her clinical practice as a nurse within the chemotherapy unit of Falkirk Royal Infirmary.

Nora developed the concept of the CCRC from her experience of working closely with patients and carers and the Centre was established at the University of Stirling in October 2003.

Nora has an established reputation as a leader in cancer care in Europe and internationally and was President of the European Oncology Nursing Society between 1997 and 1999 and is actively involved in cancer care developments internationally.
In 2004 she was appointed by the Minister for Health to the Expert Group that developed the new NHS Framework for Service Change and led the work in Care in Local Settings and Cancer Care. She sits on a number of Scottish Executive committees, including the CSO Cancer Portfolio Group.

In 2000 she was seconded to the Commission for Health Improvement where she managed the review of cancer services in England and Wales.

Nora leads and collaborates on a number of multi-centre research projects in the areas of patient experience, symptom management in cancer care - including the use of technology - and cancer and the elderly. She has published widely and is regularly invited to international conferences to present keynote and plenary papers.

Outline Address

Scotland experiences higher incidence and mortality rates of cancer compared with other western European countries (SEHD 2001; ONS 2007; Berrino et al 2007; Verdecchia et al 2007) and cancer continues to be the leading cause of death for people under 75 years (SEHD 2004). Current figures suggest an annual incidence of cancer in Scotland of 26,000 individuals and this figure is estimated to rise to around 33,000 by 2020 with approximately 17,000 deaths per annum (SEHD 2005). Scotland’s ageing population will clearly contribute to the rising incidence of cancer. This ageing profile will not only mean higher incidence of cancer but also result in patients with cancer who have other co-morbid conditions (Extermann 2000). Furthermore Scotland experiences high levels of deprivation which impacts on peoples’ experience of cancer and cancer care.

The Developing Cancer Services; Patient and Carer Experiences programme of work commissioned by the Scottish Executive Health Department (Kearney et al 2007) demonstrated that care for people with cancer remains variable across Scotland. In addition perceptions of cancer varied between deprived and affluent communities indicating potential inequalities for the Scottish public. Improving the quality of care for all people with cancer requires a paradigm shift if we are to improve the incidence of and survival from cancer and ensure improved experiences for people affected by cancer.

Professor Roland Wolf
Honorary Director, Cancer Research UK Molecular Pharmacology Unit, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School

Main research interests are understanding the pathways which determine the sensitivity of cells to drugs, environmental agents and chemical toxins, particularly molecular and genetic studies on how chemical agents interact with cells, how this influences their therapeutic and toxicological properties and how genetic polymorphisms in the genes involved relate to disease susceptibility, adverse drug pharmacology and toxicology. Specific current projects focus on preclinical drug development, pharmacogenetics, cancer therapy, the personalised treatment of cancer and chemoprevention.

Has published over 400 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals and is a member of numerous national and international committees and advisory panels, including UK Government committees dealing with toxicology and safety issues.

In 2001 founded a company, CXR Biosciences, currently comprising 40 staff. In addition to drug discovery, the company has a major focus on developing new models to accelerate the drug development process and reduce attrition when drugs enter man.

Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce and the British Toxicology Society. Recipient of the Gerhard Zbinden Award for contributions to the area of drug and chemical safety, the European Scientific Achievement Award 2005 from the International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics (ISSX) and Scottish Enterprise Award for Leading Individual Contribution to Life Sciences in Scotland in 2006.

Outline Address

• What is cancer, what are its causes and why is it so difficult to treat?
• Advances in the science that underpins our understanding of cancer.
• Cancer prevention – current status. Prevention is better than cure.
• Current paradigms for the development of new anticancer drugs
  (i) Why does it take so long?
  (ii) The concept of control versus cure.
• The concept of the personalised treatment of cancer: the right drug for the right patient.
• What is needed to reduce cancer incidence and to improve outcome?
• Where does Scotland contribute? What can be improved?

Jeff Hurst
Cancer Patient

Jeff Hurst was born 7 May 1948, in Bournemouth, Hampshire (just missed being an NHS baby), and the family moved to Edinburgh three years later. On leaving school Jeff joined a local Marine Hydraulic Engineering Company as an administrator in their Drawing Office. On being made redundant from their Quality Assurance department in April 2000, he worked for The University of Edinburgh and John Lewis, before securing a permanent Administrative Officer position with the then Scottish Executive Health Department, in the Clinical Resource Audit Group (CRAG), which became part of NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHSQIS) in 2003.

Jeff has been married (for over 30 years!) to Margaret, and has two daughters, Jennifer & Laura. His long interest in railways started with a train set on his 11th birthday, moving through the trainspotter phase to his present position as Chairman of one of the five Scottish railway history societies. Jeff wrote the history of a local railway, which was published in 1999, and is currently working on another book, covering another two local railways.

Jeff was diagnosed with a bowel tumour in January, 2003, and underwent surgery the following month, followed by a course of chemotherapy. Another course of chemotherapy in 2006 has kept things under control at the moment.

Jeff is a member of SCAN, and one of the patient reps on the Cancer Care Research Centre Steering Committee, at Stirling University.

Outline Address

• I was already ‘in the system’; having had anal polyps which meant that I did not have to go through the GP route to reach my Consultant, cutting down the time it took to confirm any diagnosis. My past history also made me more aware of any changes to my bowel habits.
• From diagnosis to surgery took 8 weeks. Spent 3 weeks in WGH – bowel went into shock.
• 6 months chemotherapy and 12 weeks on sick leave.
• Initially 3 monthly consultant appointments, increasing to 6, then 12 monthly intervals.
• Return to full time work in September 2003.
• Clear until mid 2006, when blood test result showed increase in CEA level. CT scan and biopsy showed lesion on right lung.
• Further course of chemotherapy, with 12 weeks sick leave.
• Consultant appointments at 8 week intervals at the moment.

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