19 November 2009
£1million project to help patients 'BeWELL'
Adults at risk of developing colorectal cancers will be offered a focussed programme of support to help address their body weight, diet and physical activity - among other factors - in a £1million-plus research project led by the University of Dundee.
The BeWELL project replicates a clinically successful American programme which has worked with people at risk of developing diabetes. Patients received a personalised, multiple-appointment intervention programme concentrating on body weight changes, cardiovascular risk factors, diet and physical activity.
'Colorectal cancer is a major public health problem and often co-exists with other disorders including obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease,' said Professor Annie Anderson, Co-Director of the Centre for Research into Cancer Prevention and Screening (CRiPS) at the University of Dundee.
'Body weight, diet and physical activity are strong factors in the development of all of these conditions. If we can encourage people to work on those factors then we could significantly lessen their chances of suffering from colorectal cancer and the other conditions.'
Professor Bob Steele, the other Co-Director of CRiPS, said the study provided a unique opportunity to combine disease prevention with early detection strategies.
'Screening has been shown unequivocally to reduce death rates from colorectal cancer by early detection, but it does not effectively address disease prevention,' said Professor Steele.
'The BeWell programme is designed to harness screening to prevention by engaging with people who are at increased risk of developing colorectal cancer. What we want to do is find out if it is an effective means of putting the lifestyle change message across and helping people keep to the goals they set for changing diet, activity and body weight.'
The Dundee-led project is supported by a grant of £1,167,436 from the Medical Research Council under their National Prevention Research Initiative. Collaborators in the study include the University of Aberdeen, University College London, and NHS Tayside.
The three-year study will work with men and women aged 50 to 74 years. Patients in the study will be those who have previously had pre-cancerous bowel polyps removed, and who also carry excess body weight.
The trial will measure the effect of the BeWELL intervention programme against a diet of usual NHS care.
'The findings of the study will increase our understanding of how the NHS can deliver effective lifestyle interventions to people from diverse social backgrounds,' said Professor Anderson.
One of the key groups who will be involved in the study are men from poorer backgrounds. 'Men from the poorest backgrounds have the highest rates of screen-detected colorectal tumours and this study offers a rare opportunity to engage with a hard to reach group,' explained Professor Anderson.
The Centre for Research into Cancer Prevention and Screening (CRiPS), at the University of Dundee, draws together expertise across the medical spectrum, from public health and nutrition to surgery, nursing and screening, to examine how to develop effective programmes of prevention and early screening for cancer. The Centre works in association with the Scottish Cancer Prevention Network and collaborators across Scotland.
NOTES TO EDITORS
About the University of Dundee
The University of Dundee is internationally recognised for its excellence in life sciences and medical research, with particular expertise in cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and tropical diseases. The University has research expanding from 'the cell to the clinic to the community', and has a larger medical research complex than the National Institute for Medical Research in London. The University has an excellent track record in attracting research income and commercialising research activity. See www.dundee.ac.uk for further details.
About the Medical Research Council
For almost 100 years the Medical Research Council has improved the health of people in the UK and around the world by supporting the highest quality science. The MRC invests in world-class scientists. It has produced 29 Nobel Prize winners and sustains a flourishing environment for internationally recognised research. The MRC focuses on making an impact and provides the financial muscle and scientific expertise behind medical breakthroughs, including the first antibiotic penicillin, the structure of DNA and the lethal link between smoking and cancer. Today MRC funded scientists tackle research into the major health challenges of the 21st century. www.mrc.ac.uk.
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