This Sue Ryder Care Centre for the Study of Supportive, Palliative and End of Life Care Annual Public Lecture 2016 will feature a talk from Professor Dame Jessica Corner, PVC for Research and Knowledge Exchange, and and introduction from Professor Karen Cox, Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

Over the past 40 years median survival for people diagnosed with cancer has more than doubled and around half will survive 10 years or longer. This great success story follows the combined efforts of science, the development of combinations of more effective treatments and better organisation of services particularly in relation to screening, multidisciplinary teamwork, tackling waiting times and earlier diagnosis.

Success has however brought to the fore the lack of understanding or emphasis on how life is after cancer treatment and what might be done to optimise health for individuals who are now likely to live a long time. It was not until 2007 that surviving cancer as a health outcome became part of the agenda for health policy in England when a National Cancer Survivorship Initiative was established. This recent call to fill in the gap of data and evidence relating to long term health outcomes for individuals treated for cancer remains only partially addressed but is becoming acknowledged as an important emerging field. Studies are providing insights into the well-being of cancer survivors and beginning to characterise the kinds of problems people experience as a result of cancer treatment and who might be most at risk.

Opening up is the opportunity of an important new era whereby long-term wellbeing becomes a new target for cancer therapy alongside managing the disease itself. But what would this look like and where should such efforts be directed? This lecture will suggest some potential answers and avenues for future research and innovation.

Admission free, please book your place by emailing ann.gibbons@nottingham.ac.uk

For more information, visit the Sue Ryder Care Centre website.