Dr Jem Rashbass, National Director for Disease Registration at Public Health England, has posted a new Public Health England blog about the importance of cancer data.
“It becomes clear that there are hundreds of different changes in each cancer, and that these molecular defects in a person’s tumour will also change over time. This makes working out how to treat each person much more difficult and is the biggest challenge of Personalised Medicine.” writes Dr Jem Rashbass, National Director for Disease Registration at Public Health England.
“This means that everyone’s cancer is now essentially ‘rare’ and the number of people with similar cancers is much less common.”
He continues by outlining the pressing need for greater collection of patient data, its analysis and use in tackling all cancers including brain tumours.
“The cost to the economy of cancer and the cost benefits of expensive treatments will not be possible without accurate data on outcomes and interventions. It will not be possible to assess the benefits of initiatives such as the cancer drugs fund or new treatments such as proton beam therapy,” says Dr Rashbass.
Read the full blog