Evaluating new healthcare technologies in cancer

我们的目标是减少癌症死亡和与癌症治疗相关的副作用。我们设计临床试验和其他研究研究，同时测试几种新方法。这加快了对新疗法的评估。在这个节目中，我们把重点放在新的科学发展上。特别是针对具有特定遗传标记的癌症的新药，以及防止癌症血管发展的药物。癌症需要新的血管来生存和生长。我们还在测试新的免疫肿瘤学药物。这些药物有助于人体免疫系统杀死癌细胞。我们还将测试人工智能等其他新技术，以改善癌症治疗。人工智能使用计算机的能力来完成通常需要人工输入的任务。例如，放射治疗(x射线治疗)可以用来治愈癌症。但计划治疗是一个复杂而耗时的过程。重要的是，放射治疗只针对癌症，而不是伤害癌症附近的健康组织。使用计算机来加快这一过程可能会让更多的患者更快地得到治疗。这可以在世界各国使用。在我们的研究中，我们收集参与者的血液样本，并与实验室科学家和行业合作伙伴合作，提供更多关于癌症发展和生长的知识。在可能的情况下，我们会在未来的研究中使用这些信息。

Our aim is to reduce cancer deaths and the side effects associated with cancer treatments. We design clinical trials and other research studies that test several new approaches at the same time. This speeds up the evaluation of new therapies. In this programme we focus on new scientific developments. In particular new drugs that target cancers that have specific genetic markers, as well as drugs that prevent a cancer’s blood vessels developing. Cancers need new blood vessels to survive and grow. We are also testing the new immuno-oncology drugs. These drugs help the bodies’ immune system kill cancer cells. We will also test other new technologies such as artificial intelligence to improve cancer treatments. Artificial intelligence uses a computer’s power to do tasks that normally require human input. For example radiotherapy (x-ray treatment) can be used to cure cancers. But it is a complex and time consuming process to plan the treatment. It is important that the radiotherapy only targets the cancer and doesn’t harm healthy tissue near the cancer. Using a computer to speed up this process would potentially allow many more patients to be treated sooner. This could be used in countries all over the world. In our studies we collect blood samples from participants and work with laboratory scientists and industry partners to provide more knowledge about how cancers develop and grow. Where possible we use this information in our future studies.