Blood from islanders to be used in cancer study

Blood samples from islanders with certain types of cancer will be used in a pioneering piece of research being conducted at the University of Southampton.

The study, which was approved last year by the Guernsey Ethics Committee, will combine computer science and medicine to help understand lymphoma and leukaemia better.

The research was partly funded by businesses in Guernsey under Cancer Research UK's (CRUK) Business Beats Cancer campaign.

Neale Jehan, from CRUK Guernsey, said: "Guernsey residents have played an important role in the ground-breaking research taking place in Southampton over the years and many of our residents have been treated by Southampton clinicians."

Mr Jehan said giving researchers access to more patient samples would help "move research forward and discover new ways to treat disease".

One part of the study will use nearly 2,000 samples, including people from Guernsey, to develop a "self-trained", computer-based risk score for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).

CLL is the most common blood cancer in adults.

Prof Francesco Forconi, who is leading the project, said the Channel Islands' data would be an "invaluable contribution" and help doctors "prioritise patient well-being and optimise medical resource allocation" in future.

Any patients in Guernsey who want to take part in the study should contact his team at the University of Southampton.

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