Giving hope to those affected
by secondary breast cancer
Research. Support. Education.
Giving hope to those affected
by secondary breast cancer
Dr Sarah Thomas joined the Make 2nds Count team in March 2023 to become the charity’s first ever Research Manager and lead our growing research programme. Sarah answers questions from the community and discusses the challenges in secondary breast cancer research and her big ideas for the future.
Sarah brings to Make 2nds Count direct experience as a laboratory-based cancer researcher together with knowledge of the UK research landscape and expertise in science communication, patient engagement in research and grant funding. We caught up with Sarah to ask a few questions.
Breast cancer survival has doubled in the last 50 years in the UK[1] yet secondary breast cancer is still incurable. Research has been dominated by primary breast cancer and I think part of that has been driven by patient populations and an assumption that research into primary will help those with secondary breast cancer, which is not always the case.
Researchers are facing challenges around the biology of secondary breast cancer that can hamper progress. For example, in developing new treatments for brain metastases, researchers have to find innovative ways to get drug molecules to pass the natural defences of the brain, the blood-brain barrier. The genetics of metastatic tumours is also incredibly complex: they continue to evolve, gathering extra mutations that create resistance to treatment over time. This evolution even happens in a petri dish while researchers are studying the cancer cells. Another challenge is that it’s difficult to create models of metastatic disease in the lab to test new treatments before testing in humans during clinical trials.
We are a small charity but we have a big voice and a strong community behind us! I think challenging public perceptions around breast cancer is important, by providing a platform where people can share their lived experience and use our collective voice to reach out to decision makers, pharmaceutical companies, research funders and encourage them to recognise the needs of our community. Partnership working is also a great way to leverage more funding dedicated to secondary breast cancer research. In the meantime we can ensure that our research programme focuses where we can have the biggest impact.
I don’t feel there is enough emphasis on secondary breast cancer in the cancer research sector so what I want to do is develop a research strategy that absolutely prioritises the needs of our community. By putting the secondary breast cancer community at the heart of our research strategy, this is how we can really make a difference. There are not many other research funders working in this way so I’m hoping through advocacy and partnership building we can put research into metastasis higher on the UK cancer research agenda.
I want to see us reach that £1 million milestone of committed research funding and looking beyond that, I think our ultimate goal should be to fund a clinical trial. We know where the gaps are in terms of available treatments and as we strive to improve quality of life for our community as a whole, helping to bring forward the treatments of the future will become a key part of our mission.
1 Cancer Research UK, date accessed May 2023
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