Last week a special programme for Stand Up To Cancer presented by Davina McCall was broadcast live from Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
The programme was part of an evening of extended coverage on Channel 4 that began with a recorded message from the King speaking about his cancer treatment.
Cancer Clinic Live followed the stories of breast, lung and colorectal cancer patients from Addenbrooke’s and Royal Papworth Hospital. In a UK first, viewers watched live consultations between patients and clinicians as part of a one-off special cancer clinic.
Presenter Davina McCall opened the programme by speaking about her own recent breast cancer diagnosis, the death of her sister from late-stage lung cancer and the importance of early diagnosis.
The programme highlighted the kindness, dedication and innovation of cancer specialists in Cambridge and emphasised the importance of cancer screening and research.
Among the patients featured in the programme was 69-year-old Shirley from Cambridge who was referred to Addenbrooke’s Breast Unit to meet consultant radiologist Dr James Tanner after a routine breast screening. Following surgery to remove the cancer, Shirley met surgeon Georgette Oni and clinical nurse specialist Sian Goodwin during the live programme to discuss the positive news about her results and follow-up treatment.
It also featured Peter, who responded to an invite to participate in the NHS lung cancer screening programme, when it was introduced in Peterborough and Huntingdon earlier this year.
After his initial scan at Peterborough City Hospital highlighted a suspicious nodule, the 66-year old from Peterborough was referred to Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust where further tests confirmed a small lung cancer. A week later he had surgery to remove it.
In the live programme, Prof Robert Rintoul met with Peter to reveal the results of his treatment.
Cancer Clinic Live also included 52-year-old Stuart who was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer 10 months ago. Stuart is one of a small percentage of people where the genetic background of his cancer made it potentially treatable with immunotherapy - a new type of treatment that helps the patient’s own immune system attack the cancer cells.
During his live consultation with Addenbrooke’s oncologist Dr Ultan McDermott, Stuart discussed his treatment which he describes as a “lifeline.”
In preparing for the programme, the producers filmed with staff from across Cambridge University Hospitals including radiotherapy, chemotherapy and histopathology – where cancers are analysed to provide diagnoses and inform treatments.
During the broadcast, the Addenbrooke’s chimney lit up orange for Stand Up To Cancer.
Patients on wards were able to watch the programme on their bedside televisions.
For this year’s Stand Up To Cancer campaign, Channel 4 and Cancer Research UK introduced an online screening checker (opens in a new tab) for members of the public to check what cancer screening they are eligible for through the NHS and PHA and to get advice on the screening process.
Cancer Clinic Live formed part of a wider series of programmes on Channel 4 for Stand Up To Cancer, fronted by presenter Adam Hills, which included special editions of Channel 4 shows such as Celebrity Gogglebox and The Last Leg.
Addenbrooke’s Hospital, part of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, is a national and regional centre for many cancers including rarer types of cancer. Its Cancer Services care for around 6,000 new patients each year, aiming to deliver the highest quality clinical care, supported by world-leading research and innovation.
Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is the UK’s leading specialist heart and lung centre, receiving 1,200 referrals for lung cancer every year. Working with NHS partners across the East of England, it plays a key role in the lung cancer screening programme which is finding cancer sooner.
Addenbrooke’s and Royal Papworth are specialist hospitals located on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. Cambridge is home to the largest life sciences cluster in Europe and one of the most productive communities of cancer researchers in the world, with academics from the University of Cambridge, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre and industry partners.
The campus is also the site for the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital which will bring together academia, industry and clinical excellence under one roof, to transform the way cancer is diagnosed and treated.
In Cancer Clinic Live, viewers could see how specialists across Addenbrooke’s and Cambridge work closely together to provide excellent and compassionate care for patients. We wanted to show the progress being made in cancer screening and treatments and how patients are benefitting from groundbreaking discoveries. Accelerating the translation of new cancer innovations into cutting-edge patient care is at the heart of our vision for the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital.
Dr Hugo Ford, director of cancer services at CUH
The Trust wants to thank all the patients and families that took part in filming, and the many staff and teams across the hospital that worked so hard to make the programme possible.
You can find out about some of the clinicians that worked with the producers and explore other CUH cancer research that has made headlines this year in our Stand Up To Cancer webpage.
Cancer Clinic Live is available to stream online from Channel 4.