A groundbreaking £985,000 cancer research and treatment project aims to reverse the region’s high incidence and low survival rates of bowel cancer.

The Colorectal Cancer Screening Prevention Endoscopy and Early Diagnosis project (COLO-SPEED)—funded by the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation—will see Newcastle University and 17 regional NHS endoscopy units recruiting up to 5,000 patients a year to help speed up research into the disease.

Professor Colin Rees, Professor of Gastroenterology at Newcastle University and South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, is one of Europe’s leading experts in endoscopy and is passionate about improving bowel cancer outcomes.

With the support and input of colleagues within the NHS and Newcastle University—including key collaborators Linda Sharp, Professor of Cancer Epidemiology at Newcastle University, and Dr Kyle Montague from Newcastle University’s Open Lab—Professor Rees has designed COLO-SPEED to create, “a North East led step change in bowel cancer research.”

Projects delivered faster

Professor Rees said: “We want to see research that used to take years happening within months. And to make sure it becomes of benefit to patients quickly.

“Essentially, COLO-SPEED will provide the structure to deliver new research projects far faster than we currently can. And we’ll do that with help from clinicians in regional endoscopy units and support from patients across the region.

“To use a football analogy, if you had to build the stadium and source the players and supporters every time you played a match it would be a very slow process. Thanks to this funding from the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, COLO-SPEED will ensure everything we need is already in place when we have to find the answer to a question through targeted research.”

40,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK each year—and 16,000 people die from the disease (44 every day).

Rates vary substantially across England and are very high in the North East—men in this region have the highest bowel cancer incidence rates in England with women also in the upper half of incidence rates.

Survival rates for men and women in the North East are also amongst the lowest in the country and the survival rates in the UK are lower than in many other European countries.

Professor Rees added: “Most bowel cancer cases and deaths are preventable through a combination of making lifestyle changes, finding and removing polyps before they become cancerous, or by taking drugs like aspirin to help prevent polyps forming.

“Bowel cancer is a disease where we know we can make a real difference through targeted research and COLO-SPEED is something we believe will be a world-leading model for prevention and early diagnosis research. We’re very grateful to everyone who has donated to the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation to help make it a reality.

“It is time that we used the research strength of the North East and collaboration with patients to make a significant impact upon bowel cancer and stop as many people as we can suffering from and dying from this disease.”

Region-wide collaboration

As with all projects funded through the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, patients are at the heart of COLO-SPEED. Patients attending one of the 18 participating regional endoscopy centres, where polyps and cancer are diagnosed, will be given the opportunity to become a potential research participant.

Another key component of COLO-SPEED will be the development of a novel digital platform led by Newcastle University’s Open Lab, providing a resource and tools to support the project that will be used to collect data, feedback results and deliver ongoing patients and public engagement.

Lady Elsie says: “Bob’s aim when he began our Foundation was to fund research that he could see would make a difference, not just here in the North East, but around the world.

“All of our trustees were impressed by the potential of COLO-SPEED to do just that. As ever, it will need to be a great team effort to succeed and, through Professor Rees, we know there’s a wonderful enthusiasm from across the whole region to get involved in this project.”

Sir Bobby Robson launched his Foundation in 2008 to help find more effective ways to detect and treat cancer.

The work funded directly benefits cancer patients in the North East and Cumbria and plays a significant role in the international fight against the disease—funding cutting-edge cancer treatment and innovative cancer support services, including the clinical trials of new drugs at the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre.