A fund set up by campaigner Dame Deborah James, who died last year, has raised £11.3m for cancer research. Bowelbabe was set up in May 2022, a month before her death, to raise money for Cancer Research UK with an initial target of £250,000. It raised £3.5m in less than a week, with the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge among those donating. Cancer Research UK says the funds would go to new projects aimed at advancing research into the disease.
Dame Deborah was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016 at the age of 35 and became an outspoken campaigner, encouraging people to check for signs of the deadly disease. The host of the BBC’s You, Me and the Big C podcast was praised for her no-nonsense approach to talking about cancer, having shared her experiences of treatment and daily life since her diagnosis.
What are bowel cancer symptoms?
- A persistent change in bowel habit – going more often, with looser stools and sometimes tummy pain
- Blood in the stools without other symptoms, such as piles
- Abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating always brought on by eating
Cancer Research UK said the fund would continue to raise money. Initial funds would go to a range of projects focused on the prevention and treatment of bowel cancer.
One study will look at laying the foundations for new precision treatment that could stop bowel cancer spread. It will be led by Professor Trevor Graham, director of the Centre for Evolution and Cancer at the Institute of Cancer Research, London. Another project, involving a team of leading scientists, will look at targeting microbes that might cause bowel cancer.
This team has already discovered a type of bacteria that increases the risk of bowel cancer in some people under 50 and is exploring whether it might be possible to target these bacteria to reduce bowel cancer risk. A further project, led by Dr Oleg Blyuss from Queen Mary University of London, will look at using artificial intelligence and blood tests to detect the earliest signs of cancer.
At the Royal Marsden cancer hospital in London, an advanced IR X-ray machine will also offer better imaging resolution that will allow more patients to be treated. The projects announced on Wednesday, collectively totalling around £4m, are the first round of funding, with more projects due to be confirmed later this year.
Chief executive of Cancer Research UK Michelle Mitchell said Dame Deborah was a “force of nature”, and said the “overwhelming support the fund” has received was a testament “to how many lives she touched”. “The fund will be fuelled by Deborah’s spirit of rebellious hope,” she added.
