Progress, issue 24

Pioneering research

How your vital support is driving our work

A smashing day on court

Stars unite to Rally Against Cancer

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“I always wonder at the positive attitude of everyone who works at the hospital”

Welcome to the latest issue of Progress, in which we look at The Royal Marsden’s

work in translational research – an area in which we are among the best in the world. Thanks to our wonderful supporters and their generosity, we can give hope to more patients and their families through our commitment to the “bench-to-bedside” journey, translating the latest research from the lab into patient treatment and care. We also look back at the Rally Against Cancer event at The Queen’s Club. The support of patients such as tennis player Ross Hutchins – who came up with the idea – means so much to the charity, the hospital and our staff and enables us to continue providing world-class cancer care to our patients.

Thank you for your support. I hope you enjoy this issue.

Thank you for making a difference

R. Ian Molson Chairman, The Royal Marsden

What you’re tweeting

I was frightened, but staff were outstanding. I’ll never forget. Thank you. Jude

#iloveourNHS because of hospitals like the @royalmarsden. Abbie Jones

Great result today. Thanks again to @royalmarsden. There is magic within its walls. Ian Ridley

A yr ago today, I had 1st chemo at @royalmarsden.

As a boy, Robin Broadhurst lost his mother to breast cancer, and other loved ones have since died from the disease. Today, Robin is one of nine Trustees who help govern The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, and his expertise as a chartered surveyor has helped in the funding of new or refurbished buildings.

He said: “I visit the hospital regularly and never cease to wonder at the positive attitude of all those who work there and the happy atmosphere you can feel. The charity has helped in so many areas, and the impact it had during the Chelsea rebuild following the fi re was immense. This is one of the many reasons the charity means a lot to me.”

Along with his wife Penny and dog Betty, Robin took part in The Marsden March in 2011. They plan to do next year’s March with their children and grandchildren.

Your support counts

Robin Broadhurst, charity Trustee, with his wife Penny

2 The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity

Progress24_PG02-3_FIN.indd 2 21/08/2013 14:08

A new campaign chaired by movie star Samuel L Jackson is giving a boost to our appeal to fund two new MRI scanners at The Royal Marsden.

The actor (pictured below) is Chairman of One For The Boys, a campaign focusing on male cancer awareness. Funds raised from charity events in 2014 will be donated to The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity’s appeal for two MRI scanners in the new Imaging Centre at the Chelsea hospital.

The campaign is the idea of Mr Jackson’s publicist, Sofia Davis, whose friend lost a brother to cancer. She said: “After visiting The Royal Marsden and seeing the amazing work the staff do for cancer patients, I decided that was the place I wanted to help.”

The high-tech imaging centre will include two MRI scanners – a 1.5T and a 3.0T. The combination of both at one site will provide our patients with unparalleled cancer care, allowing The Royal Marsden to remain at the forefront of cancer diagnostic imaging.

Superstar chairs new campaign backing our scanners appeal

9,300

Over to you…

patients every year will be scanned in the new Imaging Centre by 2015/16

Eight-year-olds Millie White (left) and Arabelle Killington (right) did a sponsored silence for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. Both Millie’s mum, Nicola, and Arabelle’s mum’s best friend, Jo Hussey, were treated at The Royal Marsden. Sadly, both Nicola and Jo died, but the girls wanted to do something to help other people with cancer. Millie said: “I hope the money we raised helps you make people better.”Tell us your own fundraising story by writing to [email protected]

RH The Duke of Cambridge, The Royal Marsden’s President, took part in a charity

polo match in support of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity this summer – his first public event following the birth of his son, Prince George, on 22 July. The Audi Polo Challenge was held on 3 August at Coworth Park, Ascot, with this year being the fourth time that it has supported the charity.

Cally Palmer, Chief Executive of The Royal Marsden, who attended the event, said: “We were delighted to be one of the beneficiaries of the Audi Polo Challenge. The support from both The Duke and The Duchess of Cambridge has been extremely generous, and the spotlight

they bring to the hospital and the charity draws more attention to our work to find better ways to treat and diagnose patients.”

Earlier this year, The Duke recorded a special video message in support of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity to launch the ten10 campaign. He and The Duchess of Cambridge also opened the charity-funded Oak Centre for Children and Young People in September 2011 and are regularly updated on the progress of the young patients they met there.

Above: TRH Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry with polo players Luke and Mark Tomlinson, and Martin Sander, Managing Director of Audi UK (centre)

Royal support in polo challenge

H

www.royalmarsden.org 3@royalmarsden royalmarsden


Bench to bedside: how our research becomes reality

What is translational research?It refers to the “bench-to-bedside” approach of translating research from the lab into patient treatment and care. This includes all parts of the patient journey: drugs, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery.

What progress has been made by The Royal Marsden?As part of Europe’s largest comprehensive cancer centre, The Royal Marsden has an outstanding reputation for research and development and has led advances in all types of treatments for cancer patients, helping to set national and international standards of care, and establishing best practice for

cancer diagnosis and treatment. But there is a need to continue our work developing the latest cancer treatments and technologies.

What are you focusing on now? Taking personalised cancer treatment to the next level. The Royal Marsden, together with its academic partner The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), has been a world leader in personalised cancer treatment for many years, and our research strategy enhances this work further.

How will this be achieved?Together, we are the only National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC)

Professor David Cunningham, The Royal Marsden’s Director of Clinical Research, explains how experts are translating laboratory-based studies into

new treatments for patients, with the help of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity

dedicated solely to cancer. We translate scientific findings regarding the genetic and molecular causes of cancer into improved treatments, which are then tested in national trials. Our strategy will prioritise the research that we have identified as having the most benefit to patients, and ensures that they benefit from the latest advances in cancer treatment.

How can The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity help?The charity will be essential in making this a reality. It’s an exciting time for research. We’ve seen many advances in the past five years in areas such as lung and gastrointestinal cancers and melanoma, mainly due to the revolution in molecular diagnostics. This allows us to classify tumours into different subtypes, each of which responds best to different treatments.

Support from The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity will allow clinical and translational research to grow and continue to transform patient outcomes through research. With this funding, we will support the highest-quality research in areas such as molecular diagnostics and immunotherapy. The Royal Marsden Clinical Trials Unit will be established to run early-phase trials of new therapies, ultimately providing more targeted therapy treatment options to patients.

“ We’re focusing on taking personalised cancer treatment to the next level”

Thanks to you



How your support is making a differenceDrug developmentThe support of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity has been vital for drug development. As a result of major investment by the Oak Foundation and generous donations from supporters of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, the paediatric drug development team has assembled a group of specialists to deliver internationally renowned paediatric early-phase clinical trials of the highest quality.

In the past five years, the number of clinical trials run by the team has increased from five to 29. More recently, 10 first-in-child studies – in which promising drugs are offered to children for the first time – have opened, with drugs targeting the molecular drivers of cancers in neuroblastoma, rhabdomysarcoma, glioma and high-risk leukaemia.

In paediatric trials, there is a great focus on reducing the risk of later effects of the cancer treatment to ensure that children can grow into healthy, happy adults. The money raised by The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity is crucial in helping us design and run these unprecedented trials.

Professor Andy Pearson, who leads the paediatric drug >

The Royal Marsden’s research teams include the paediatric drug development team, led by Professor Andy Pearson (bottom left)



“Being on a trial at The Royal Marsden’s Drug Development Unit gives you a sense of purpose: you’re doing something that you’re going to benefit from and that is also going to benefit others. The unit is excellent; the staff always have time for you.

“If every hospital could be like this, it would be amazing – this is where I hope they’ll find the cure. It’s one of the reasons I support The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity – through their funding of facilities such as the Drug Development Unit and their support for the latest developments in treatments across the Trust, so many patients have the hope that we do.

“I’m really excited about the future, both for myself at the Drug Development Unit and the future work the charity will be funding. Hopefully it will give more patients the opportunities I’ve had.”Sarah Crockford, trial patient in The Royal Marsden’s Drug Development Unit

“I’m really excited about the future”

development team, says: “We are extremely grateful to our charity’s supporters for their ongoing support, without which this progress for childhood cancer treatment would not have been possible.”

Research in chemotherapyA new targeted therapy has the potential to transform the treatment of women with HER2 metastatic breast cancer. Available soon, T-DM1 targets HER2-positive cancer cells and spares normal cells.

Dr Nicholas Turner, who along with Professor Stephen Johnston was involved in the development of this treatment at The Royal Marsden, says: “We aim to take drugs developed for the treatment of advanced cancer and look at how to bring them to patients with primary cancer in a bid to increase the cure rates.”

Research in radiotherapyThe Royal Marsden has been at the forefront of one of the world’s most significant advances in radiotherapy. The PARSPORT trial, which

looked into the use of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) to minimise the side effects from radiation therapy, took place at the hospital. Following the success of the trial, every eligible head and neck cancer patient in the UK is to be offered IMRT. A second IMRT trial, COSTAR, is now under way.

Research in surgeryConsultant Surgeon Mr Satvinder Mudan and Consultant Anaesthetist Dr Ravi RaoBaikady have been working on a trial to reduce the amount of donated blood used in major operations. With the help of colleagues, the pair have carried out a three-year pilot project in which patients are given iron infusions instead of blood. This pushes the body to produce its own blood, meaning the patient no longer needs transfusions using donated blood. Mr Mudan says: “The main benefit of using iron infusions is that there can be some side effects from giving patients someone else’s blood.”

£2.8mtowards the Oak Foundation Drug Development Unit

£2.3mtowards building the Centre for Molecular Pathology

£1.16mfor the Translational Genetics Laboratory

In the past few years, and with the help of our fantastic supporters, The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity has raised funds for vital projects to advance the groundbreaking research at the hospital, including:

Thanks to you



A breakthrough in melanoma treatment

Dr James Larkin, Consultant Medical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden, discusses how the hospital is trialling new drugs that could revolutionise the use of immunotherapy to treat cancer

mmunotherapy research is carried out in many units at The Royal Marsden

and has been used for a long time to treat skin and kidney cancers. Historically, it has been a very toxic treatment and hasn’t benefited many patients.

“However, this is beginning to change. We are in the early stages of clinical trials of new immunotherapy drugs for the treatment of melanoma at The Royal Marsden and around the world. If proven to be effective,

these drugs have the potential to work in other cancer types as well, such as kidney and non-small-cell lung cancer. It’s an exciting time in the development of immunotherapy to treat cancer, with further advances on the horizon.

“At the moment, the best example of immunotherapy is a drug called ipilimumab, also known as Yervoy, for the treatment of advanced melanoma. It seems to control melanoma for long periods in 15–20 per cent of patients, with manageable side effects.

“Further investment is crucial if we are to continue our advances in immunotherapy. The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity has helped tremendously in funding many facilities and areas of research across The Royal Marsden. Being able to fund state- of-the-art equipment and resources brings in the best people and results in the best research. The support of the charity allows us to continue to go above and beyond, providing high-quality research and the facilities to deliver it.”

What is immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy, when successful, stimulates the immune system to attack

cancers, so it is not always necessary to administer it for long periods of time, unlike other drugs for

cancer treatment.

“Further investment is

crucial if we are to continue our

advances”

“I

4,000 patients were involved in clinical studies at The Royal Marsden in 2012/13



Our celebrity supporters

1 Tim Henman, Ross Hutchins and Andy Murray were joined on court by Michael McIntyre, Eddie Redmayne, Sir Richard Branson, Jimmy Carr, Jonathan Ross and Boris Johnson2 The match saw Andy Murray and Tim Henman triumph over Andy’s coach Ivan Lendl and world number six Tomas Berdych3 Andy Murray kindly donated the £73,000 winnings from his Aegon Championship victory to the charity in recognition of the work The Royal Marsden has done for his best friend Ross Hutchins

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3,000

Over to you…

donations were made via the Rally Against Cancer JustGiving page

“I was delighted to have been invited. It is a really good cause and one that I am honoured to support.”Boris Johnson, Mayor of London

“As a former Royal Marsden patient, it was great to see everyone supporting Rally Against Cancer – all part of a fantastic day for a fantastic cause!”Debbie Middleton, London

Get

ty Im

ages

ndy Murray and Tim Henman joined other famous faces on court

this summer for a Rally Against Cancer, raising an incredible £300,000 for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity – and donations are still coming in.

The all-star doubles exhibition match, held at the Aegon Championships at The Queen’s Club on Sunday 16 June, was the idea of British tennis player Ross Hutchins. Ross has been receiving treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma at The Royal Marsden since December 2012.

“The Royal Marsden has been incredible,” says Ross, who is now in remission.

“Ever since I was diagnosed, I wanted to do something to thank them for their kindness. It’s an unbelievable place that helps thousands of people in situations similar to mine.”

Ross invited some of the clinical team involved in his care to watch the event. Professor David Cunningham, Dr Suad Ageli, and nursing team Laura Appadu and Michelle Harris received a huge cheer from the crowd when Ross thanked them in a live on-court BBC interview with Sue Barker.

“It meant a lot to me that the people who looked after me were there,” he says. “It’s not easy going through chemo, but with support, the right attitude and the right people behind me, I’ve been able to come through it.”

Andy Murray continued his support by sporting the name of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity on his sleeve during his victorious Wimbledon fortnight (see left). He says: “I wanted to support Ross – and the hospital which has been treating him – as much as I could.”

Celebrities come together to raise money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity

Rally Against Cancer serves up an ace day

A

3

“I wanted to support Ross –

and the hospital which has been treating him – as much as I could”

Andy Murray, tennis world number 2



Legacies: a lasting effect

enables The Royal Marsden to continue as a leader in the provision of world-class treatment and care for cancer patients.

Perhaps the biggest legacy is that left by William Marsden himself, who in 1851 founded the hospital we know today as The Royal Marsden – a place that cancer patients continue to benefit from and rely on, almost 150 years after his death.

Gifts left in wills ensure that we are able to continue to make a tangible difference to the way in which cancer is treated and researched, both nationally and internationally. It is an incredibly personal donation, and enables our scientists and clinicians to search for cures and strive towards a world beyond cancer.

A more recent example of such a legacy gift was that left by Violet Nolan, to provide funding for research at The Royal Marsden. This gift was realised in 2011 as part of the funding for the construction of the new

Centre for Molecular Pathology, which brings together clinicians, geneticists, pathologists and scientists under one roof, speeding up the research and treatment development process.

Violet’s donation is an excellent example of how leaving a legacy to The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity ensures that future generations will benefit from the best that The Royal Marsden can offer. Legacies can be left to benefit any area of The Royal Marsden’s

work, from research and facilities to treatment and care.

Leaving a legacy is one of the most generous and enduring gifts a supporter can make – providing future generations with a life beyond cancer.

To find out more, please visit www.royalmarsden.org/legacies

If you have generously included

the charity in your will, or would like to find out

more about legacies, please call Catherine

Macmillan on 020 7808 2274 or email

[email protected]

The Royal Marsden has a long and proud history of philanthropic support. In 1855, a gift from Angela Burdett-Coutts, a leading philanthropist of her era, enabled William Marsden to buy land in Chelsea on which to build the Free Cancer Hospital – the first in the world dedicated to treating and researching cancer.

We owe much to her early financial support, and it is this tradition of philanthropy that

How to get involved

Then and now: the Free Cancer Hospital (left) and the Centre for Molecular Pathology (below left) were both built with the help of philanthropic gifts



Every December, the Christmas trees at The Royal Marsden are decorated with thousands of Celebrate a Life stars, each with the name of a loved one written in the centre – a special symbol of friendship, affection and love. At The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, we know just how important Christmas is to our patients, supporters, staff and loved ones. This year, The Friends of The Royal Marsden, Chelsea are celebrating with us. The work of both charities benefits patients at both Sutton and Chelsea.

Celebrate Christmas together at The Royal Marsden

2011“Our son was treated at The Royal Marsden in Sutton some years ago. We were so impressed with the care and treatment he received that we wanted to do what we could to support their important work.”Caroline and Chris Wilkinson

2012“Thank you for the amazing experience my husband and I had. He is having chemo at the Chelsea hospital.”Victoria Schmeda

“One of the best experiences of my life!”Rosemary McDonnell

2013“I was wondering where I was going to find the strength to get to the end. Then I read on someone’s back about how The Royal Marsden was helping her five-year old niece battle leukaemia and I found the strength!”Andy Brown

Help us make our next Marsden March the biggest yetFor the past three years, The Marsden March has been a hugely successful event for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. Each year, thousands of our supporters have walked with us to take on cancer, telling many inspiring stories. Here, we share just a few of them...

To find out more about

naming a star in honour of a loved

one, pick up a leaflet in the hospital, call

020 7811 8073 or visit www.royalmarsden.org/star,

where you can also watch a Celebrate a Life film. To see

photos of the stars on the tree and of each service, visit our website from

mid-January.

The Marsden March 2014 will take place on Sunday 16 March. Supporters will be

walking together to raise money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. Registration for the 2014 event opens on 7 October. Register early to avoid

missing out on a great day – visit www.royalmarsden.org/

march

£3.2mhas been raised by 10,500 Marsden March supporters in the past three years



Get involved

December 2013

Celebrate a LifeName a star for a loved one and give a gift to all cancer patients. Request your star at www.royalmarsden.org/star

4–10 November 2013

Winter Fine Art & Antiques FairEnjoy a day out at this prestigious London event and raise money for the charity. Visit www.royalmarsden.org/art

8 December 2013

Santa RunJoin our team and don a Santa suit for this fun-filled 5km or 10km run. Register by 29 November at www.royalmarsden.org/run

16 March 2014

The Marsden MarchWalk with us to take on cancer. Register from 7 October at www.royalmarsden.org/march

6 April 2014

Brighton MarathonWe have guaranteed places, so join our team. Register by 28 February at www.royalmarsden.org/run

26 May 2014

Bupa London 10,000We have guaranteed places, so join our team. Register by 25 April at www.royalmarsden.org/run

June 2014

Jump for usTake part in a memorable parachute jump. Visit www.royalmarsden.org/jump

13 April 2014

Virgin Money London MarathonHave you got your own place? Why not run for us? Visit www.royalmarsden.org/run

2013

2014

Have fun and raise money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. To find out about all

the ways you can get involved and help make a difference to people with cancer, please visit www.royalmarsden.org/do-something

January 2014

My Marsden MarchOrganise your own Marsden March any time, anywhere: www.royalmarsden.org/mymarch

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Progress, issue 24

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