Category: News

A cancer diagnosis can bring uncertainty, questions, and moments of feeling overwhelmed — not only for those diagnosed, but also for partners, families and loved ones. At OPA Cancer Charity, we want everyone affected by oesophageal or gastric (stomach) cancer to know that support is available, and you do not have to face things alone.

Our Helpline: A Listening Ear and Practical Support

Sometimes, talking to someone who understands can make all the difference.

OPA’s support helpline offers a safe, compassionate space to talk through worries, ask questions, or simply be heard. Whether you are living with cancer, supporting someone through treatment, or coping with life after diagnosis, our helpline is here for you.

Through our helpline, we can offer:

  • Emotional support and a listening ear
  • Guidance and signposting to relevant support services, including our Patient Buddy System
  • Information to help you understand what support is available
  • Reassurance for those moments when things feel difficult or uncertain

No question is too small, and no concern is insignificant. Reaching out for support can be an important first step.

Call our support helpline on 0121 704 9860.

Trusted Information at Your Fingertips

Reliable information can be empowering. That’s why OPA provides a range of support books and literature designed to inform, reassure and support people affected by cancer.

Our resources cover topics that matter to patients and families, helping people feel more informed and less alone in navigating their journey.

Available through the OPA shop, our literature includes practical guides, supportive reading materials and helpful resources you can access from home.

Order Support Resources Through Our Shop

Our online shop makes it easy to browse and order support books and literature whenever you need them.

Whether you are looking for information for yourself, a loved one, or resources to share with someone recently diagnosed, our materials are here to help.

Visit our shop to explore and order support resources today:
https://opa.org.uk/shop/

Support Beyond Information

At OPA, support is about more than information — it’s about connection, compassion and making sure no one feels isolated.

Our helpline and support literature are part of our commitment to helping people feel informed, supported and empowered throughout their cancer journey.

We’re Here for You

If you or someone you know could benefit from support, please reach out to our helpline or explore our range of support resources in the OPA shop.

Because no one should face cancer alone.

Need support? Contact our helpline today on 0121 704 9860.
Looking for trusted resources? Visit the OPA Shop: https://opa.org.uk/shop/

Everyone at OPA Cancer Charity was delighted to receive a wonderful email from Johanna Smith sharing some very special news — her father, Bill Smith, will be celebrating a remarkable milestone birthday on 13th May… his 90th birthday! 

Johanna shared these heartfelt words with us:

“My father Mr Bill Smith from Alresford in Hampshire has a milestone birthday soon on 13th May. He will be 90 years old. Dad was first introduced to The OPA in 2003 by his CNS Donna at Southampton Hospital and he continues to support the organisation.

He underwent pre operative chemotherapy and an oesophago-gastrectomy 23 years ago. At that time nobody in the family could have envisaged having Dad here to celebrate his 90th birthday. We are grateful and thankful for the skill and care received from the team of NHS doctors and nurses whom we owe everything to.

We hope the OPA will continue for many years to come helping patients and their families navigate through major surgery and living beyond cancer.

This picture makes me smile of my father taken in his garden at home.”

Stories like Bill’s are a powerful reminder of hope, resilience and the life-changing impact of expert care, support and community. We are incredibly grateful to Johanna for sharing this special moment with us and for allowing us to celebrate alongside the family.

From all of us at OPA Cancer Charity, happy 90th birthday, Bill! What an extraordinary milestone, we hope your day is filled with love, laughter and happiness.

OPA Cancer Charity are delighted to be supporting a free upcoming initiative, The Reflux Summit, taking place from 25th–31st May, which may be of interest to you.

If you or someone you care for is navigating reflux or oesophageal symptoms, we wanted to share a helpful free resource that may offer guidance and reassurance.

The Reflux Summit, offers access to over 40 expert-led sessions focused on reflux, oesophageal health, and digestive conditions. The sessions are designed to be clear, practical, and accessible—helping patients, families, and carers better understand symptoms, explore treatment options, and consider long-term care.

Whether you’re newly experiencing symptoms or supporting someone through their journey, this summit may provide valuable insights from leading specialists in the field.

Click here to register for free!

In an advance for early cancer detection, a new Oxford-led study has received £3.6 million from the National Institute of Health and Care Research to evaluate breakthrough multi-cancer tests in NHS general practices. The research addresses a critical healthcare challenge: approximately half of all cancer patients initially visit their GP with vague, non-specific symptoms such as weight loss or abdominal pain, leading to dangerous delays in diagnosis and treatment.

The research  

Led by Clinical Associate Professor Brian Nicholson at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, the new  AcceleRated coMmunity Multi-cAncer DIagnostic evaLuatiOn (ARMADILO) platform will explore whether multi-cancer tests can help GPs identify cancer earlier in people with these non-specific symptoms.  

The innovative tests, including blood tests, are a new type of technology that aim to detect signals of multiple cancer types at once. They look for tiny bits of material released by cancer cells into the blood or other biological samples such as urine. 

While early research shows promise, these tests are not yet used routinely in the NHS as their accuracy and usefulness in real-world settings need to be better understood.   

The recently published National Cancer Plan and the James Lind Alliance – which brings together patients, carers and clinicians to identify shared research priorities – have highlighted the need to evaluate these tests in real-world settings, particularly in general practice. The new research will assess how accurate and useful the tests are in a real NHS primary care setting and whether they can be used to support decision-making around urgent referrals.  

How it will work?

Over five years, the research team behind the new ARMADILO platform will work with up to 132 GP practices and invite nearly 10,000 patients aged 50 and over to take part. Participants will be asked to provide a sample and permission to access their health records. Tracking their health outcomes through linked NHS records, the researchers will then monitor who is diagnosed with cancer over the following year to evaluate how well the different tests perform in detecting cancer.  

The study will also assess how to recruit participants fairly, efficiently, and in an inclusive way. It will compare patients identified by their GP with those identified using electronic health records to see whether digital tools could help make the recruitment process less burdensome for practices.  It will work with patient communities to ensure the platform is inclusive of patients from all backgrounds so that they may benefit from the research findings. 

Professor Brian Nicholson, the lead for the ARMADILO platform, said:  

“We urgently need better tools to help GPs identify cancer earlier, especially when patients come in with vague symptoms that don’t immediately point to a specific diagnosis. This study is the first in the world that will help us understand whether multi-cancer tests can be a useful part of a GP’s toolkit. By working closely with patients, GP practices, and the wider NHS, we hope to find practical ways to improve how and when cancer is detected.”   

Professor Sir Aziz Sheikh, Head of the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, said:  

“Multi-cancer testing has the potential to revolutionise early diagnosis, and this study is a critical step in understanding how that potential could be realised in GP practices. Strengthening community-based healthcare will be a crucial part of delivering the ambitions set out in the NHS Long Term Plan and the National Cancer Plan, and innovations like this could play an important role in supporting earlier diagnosis closer to home.” 

Patient involvement and inclusion  

A central focus of the study is ensuring that the research is inclusive and reflects the diversity of the communities it aims to serve. Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) has played a central role in shaping the study from the start. A dedicated advisory group will continue to guide the study throughout, helping to design participant materials, improve accessibility, and ensure the research reflects the needs of diverse communities.   

Joanne Lloyd, a PPIE contributor, said: “From a patient and public perspective, this study is incredibly important. Having seen how cancer affects families, I know how much earlier diagnosis matters. It’s been vital to help shape the research, so it is clear, reassuring, and accessible for everyone” 

Patrick McGuire, also a PPIE contributor said: ‘Early diagnosis saves lives. Currently far too many people are being diagnosed far too late. A simple blood test that would help GPs diagnose cancer early could hugely improve cancer care, saving lives and providing a big step forward to a world where people live longer, better lives free from the fear of cancer.’  

Potential impact  

The study could lead to earlier diagnoses and better outcomes for people with cancer, as well as inform how multi-cancer tests might be used in NHS primary care in the future. The results will help inform NHS decisions on whether and how multi-cancer  tests might be introduced into routine general practice. If successful, the tests could help GPs make quicker, better-informed decisions about who should be referred for further cancer investigation – leading to earlier diagnoses and potentially better outcomes for patients.  

Findings from the study will be published in open access journals and shared through presentations and materials designed with patients and the public in mind.  

Take part 

The ARMADILO study offers a unique opportunity for developers of multi-cancer detection tests to evaluate their technologies in a real-world NHS primary care setting. Organisations interested in taking part are encouraged to contact the research team via [email protected] to discuss collaboration.  

This article is from Oxford Cancer – https://www.cancer.ox.ac.uk/

“Thanks to Curestarter support, researchers co-funded by Worldwide Cancer Research and Guts UK have uncovered one of the ways a rare form of oesophageal cancer grows. This discovery could fundamentally change our understanding of this aggressive cancer, and how to treat it. 

“I honestly believe that to understand cancer, we first need to understand how it originally forms. If we do not have this information, we may be missing on critical targets to prevent cancer or slow it down.” – Dr Maria Alcolea, University of Cambridge UK

Why is oesophageal cancer research like this so important?

Oesophageal cancer is the 10th most common cancer worldwide, and one of the most deadly. One of the reasons oesophageal cancer is so hard to treat is that it is incredibly difficult to diagnose early, which is why this recent discovery from Dr Maria Alcolea is so exciting.

Thanks to your support Dr Alcolea and her team in Cambridge have been working tirelessly to better understand the early stages of oesophageal cancer growth. Crucially, they wanted to understand how interactions between oesophageal cells can lead to cancer forming. 

They found that conversations between mutations are kick-starting tumour formation, not just the mutations by themselves, as was previously thought. It turns out that sometimes when oesophageal cells try to repair tissue, they can get stuck in this active healing state. But instead of giving up, they send signal out to neighbouring cells and ask them to start growing uncontrollably too, which can cause cancer growth.

What is exciting about this discovery?

The researchers found that an important molecular pathway in tissue, called the HIF1α–SOX9 axis, acts as a kind of safety brake. It allows cells to be flexible enough to repair damage, but also prevents them from becoming too uncontrolled. This is important because when these brakes fail, cells can start behaving in ways similar to cancer development. The team hope that follow-up studies exploring this pathway in cancer formation and progression could help us better understand, and even reverse, cancer formation. 

The discovery offers real, tangible hope for a future where no life is cut short by oesophageal cancer. And discoveries like this also impact all forms of regenerative medicine, an innovative branch of therapies that aim to help the body repair damaged tissue using its own ingrained biology. Regenerative medicine looks to ‘cure the incurable’, with projects working on hard-to-treat diseases like osteoarthritis and Parkinson’s, as well as cancer.  Dr Alcolea and her team’s work answers wider questions about our bodies’ abilities and how we can better commandeer this biology to improve lives.

Breakthroughs like this underpin our belief in the vital importance of discovery research. Without it, we lose the new answers and discoveries that turn the bright ideas of today into the lifesaving cures of tomorrow.

This article is from Worldwide Cancer Research – A New Oesophageal Cancer Discovery Could Unlock Vital New Treatment Options

As we approach the Easter bank holiday weekend, we wanted to let you know about some temporary changes to our opening hours.

Our offices will be closed on Friday 3rd April and Monday 6th April.

However, we understand that support is still needed during this time. Our helpline will remain open throughout the Easter weekend, so you can continue to reach us if you need advice, guidance or someone to talk to.

We will reopen as normal on Tuesday 7th April.

We hope you have a peaceful Easter, and remember we’re here if you need us! 

There are hundreds of different types of cancer. Some are more common than others. Some cancer types have different subtypes. For example, there are many different types of lung and breast cancers. Different types of cancer are called common, less common and rare.

Percentage of cancer diagnoses per year

Image: 100 figures are displayed in a 10 by 10 grid. 53 figures are green. The text next to them states that 53% of people diagnosed with cancer in the UK each year are diagnosed with one of the most common cancers. The most common cancers are types of prostate cancer, lung cancer, bowel cancer and breast cancer in women. 23 figures are light green. The text next to them states that 23% of people diagnosed with cancer in the UK each year are diagnosed with a less common cancer. For example, less common cancers include types of kidney cancer, brain tumours, pancreatic cancer and melanoma skin cancer. 24 figures are black. The text next to them states that 24% of people diagnosed with cancer in the UK each year are diagnosed with a rare cancer. For example, rare cancers include stomach cancer, leukaemia, thyroid cancer and cancer of the gullet (oesophagus)

Common cancers

In the UK, the most common cancers are types of:

The common subtypes of these cancers make up over half of all cancers in the UK. For every 100 people diagnosed with cancer each year, around 53 people (53%) will have one of these most common types.

Some subtypes of these 4 cancers can be rare types of cancer. We explain why a cancer might be rare below.

Less common cancers

For every 100 people diagnosed with cancer each year in the UK, approximately 47 (47%) will have a less common or rare cancer. About 23 of those people will have a less common cancer type. Many different types of cancers are included in the less common group, including:

But again, there are subtypes of less common cancers which can be described as rare.

Rare cancers

For every 100 people diagnosed with cancer in the UK each year, around 24 will have a rare cancer type. In the UK and Europe, experts believe a cancer is rare if less than 6 in 100,000 people each year are diagnosed with it.

What types of cancer are rare?

There are many different types of cancer considered to be rare. Only a small number of people are diagnosed with these cancer types every year.

You may have heard of some of these before. They include:

But there are many rare cancers that most people have not heard of. These can start anywhere in the body and include:

  • types of blood cancer
  • cancers affecting the female reproductive organs such as the ovaries, cervix, womb, vagina and vulva
  • cancers involving the digestive system such as the gullet (oesophagus), stomach, liver, pancreas, gallbladder and anus
  • head and neck cancers such as those affecting the mouth, throat and nasal passages
  • cancers that affect the lungs (other than lung cancer) such as cancer of the trachea, and mesothelioma
  • cancers that affect the muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments (sarcomas).

We have more information about some of these types of cancer in our A-Z list. We have also linked to some rare cancer types at the bottom of this page.

Why a cancer type might be rare

There are many reasons why a cancer type is rare. It could be for one of the following reasons:

  • It started in a different type of cell
    Often cancers start in certain types of cells, such as skin cells or cells found in the lining of organs. A cancer might be rare because it started in a different type of cell, such as a bone cell.
  • It affects an unusual part of the body
    Melanoma is a type of skin cancer and is the 5th most common cancer in the UK. But melanoma that starts in the eye (ocular melanoma) is rare.
  • It is a rarer type of a more common cancer
    Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is one of the 10 most common types of cancer. But there are many sub-types of NHL and some of these are rare.
  • It affects children, teenagers and young adults
    Cancer only affects a very small number of children, teenagers and young adults. So any cancer diagnosed in someone young is usually a rare cancer.
This article is from Macmillan – Rare cancers | Macmillan Cancer Support

Cancer staging describes the size of a cancer and how far it has spread in the body. In the UK, staging is used to guide treatment decisions, estimate outlook (prognosis), and ensure consistent communication between healthcare professionals.

Most solid cancers in the UK are staged using the internationally recognised TNM staging system, overseen globally by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and adopted in UK practice through bodies such as the Royal College of Pathologists and NHS cancer services.

The TNM System Explained

TNM stands for:

  • T (Tumour): The size of the primary tumour and how far it has grown into surrounding tissue.

  • N (Nodes): Whether cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes.

  • M (Metastasis): Whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

These categories are combined to determine an overall stage, usually numbered from Stage 0 to Stage 4.

What the Stages Mean

Stage 0
Also known as carcinoma in situ. Abnormal cells are present but have not spread beyond their original location.

Stage 1
The cancer is small and contained within the organ where it started. It has not spread to lymph nodes or distant sites.

Stage 2 and Stage 3
The cancer is larger and/or has spread to nearby lymph nodes or surrounding tissues, but not to distant parts of the body. These stages are often divided into subgroups (such as 2A, 2B, 3A, etc.), depending on tumour size and lymph node involvement.

Stage 4
The cancer has spread to distant organs, such as the liver, lungs, brain or bones. This is also known as metastatic or advanced cancer.

Clinical and Pathological Staging

In UK practice, doctors may refer to:

  • Clinical staging (cTNM): Based on scans, biopsies and physical examination before treatment.

  • Pathological staging (pTNM): Determined after surgery, when the tumour and lymph nodes can be examined under a microscope.

These may differ, and pathological staging is often more precise.

Important Differences Between Cancers

Not all cancers are staged in the same way. For example:

  • Blood cancers such as leukaemia are not staged using TNM.

  • Lymphomas use staging systems such as the Ann Arbor system.

  • Some cancers increasingly include molecular and genetic markers alongside TNM staging to guide targeted treatments.

Why Staging Matters

Understanding the stage of a cancer helps:

  • Plan the most appropriate treatment

  • Estimate likely outcomes

  • Determine eligibility for clinical trials

  • Provide patients with clear information about their diagnosis

Staging systems continue to evolve as research advances and treatments improve.

Just three of 119 acute trusts with comparable data met or exceeded the 85% target last year, new analysis of NHS England figures shows.

Almost all NHS trusts are missing a major cancer target – with some of the worst performers seeing only about half of patients on time, data shows.

Figures analysed by the Press Association (PA) for 2025 show a wide variation among trusts in England, with some patients experiencing waits of more than 104 days.

The NHS has a long-standing target for 85% of patients to wait no longer than 62 days from their cancer referral being received to beginning treatment.

It has failed to do so at a national level since 2014.

The government has also set an interim target of March 2026 for this figure to reach 75%.

The new analysis of NHS England figures shows just three of 119 acute trusts with comparable data met or exceeded the 85% target last year, while only around a quarter reached above 75%.

The three that did meet the 85% target in 2025 were: Calderdale and Huddersfield (89.2% of patients), Homerton Healthcare (85.8%), and Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells (85.7%).

Top five performing NHS trusts

Percentage of patients in 2025 who began their first treatment for cancer within 62 days of an urgent referral; and (in brackets) percentage in 2024 who began their first treatment within 62 days, according to PA’s analysis of data published by NHS England.

Calderdale and Huddersfield 89.2% (89.4%)

Homerton Healthcare 85.8% (79.7%)

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells 85.7% (85.4%)

East and North Hertfordshire 84.95% (85.2%)

Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals 83.6% (83.4%)

Bottom five performing NHS trusts

Guy’s and St Thomas’ 55.1% (47.7%)

Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn 54.2%

Hull University Teaching Hospitals 53.1% (54.8%)

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals 50.1% (50.7%)

Mid and South Essex 45.4% (47.0%)

Across England, 69.1% of patients (239,038 out of 345,847) started cancer treatment within 62 days last year, a slight increase from 67.7% (221,380 out of 327,221) in 2024, but short of the target.

Some 65 of the 119 trusts saw a year-on-year rise in the percentage of patients seen within 62 days, while 54 saw a drop.

Four trusts topped 85% in 2024 compared with three in 2025, with Calderdale and Huddersfield ranking highest in the list in both years.

An NHS spokesman said: “The NHS is seeing and treating record numbers of patients for cancer, with more than three quarters of people receiving a diagnosis or all clear within four weeks, but there are still too many people experiencing unacceptably long waits for their first treatment.

“Our landmark National Cancer Plan sets out a clear roadmap to ensuring we are meeting all three cancer standards to see and treat patients on time over the next three years, with further improvements to make care more personalised and significantly improve survival.”

Waits of more than 104 days

PA analysis also shows that in a handful of trusts, at least one in seven patients who started cancer treatment in December 2025 had been waiting more than 104 days since an urgent referral.

At University Hospitals of Leicester, 13.7% of patients starting treatment in December had waited this long, as well as 14.5% of patients at Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn, 14.9% at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and 15.5% at Guy’s and St Thomas’.

The proportion was as high as one in six patients at Hull University Teaching Hospitals (16.5%) and Mid and South Essex (17.0%).

Trusts looking to ‘turn this around’

Kirsten Major, chief executive of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, said: “We previously had some of the best cancer waiting times, so we are concerned about the drop in performance and the impact on our patients.

“This is one of our top three priorities and as such, we have already taken actions to turn this around, including additional clinics and diagnostic capacity and changes to improve and speed up the care that we provide.”

She said the trust is “now seeing a consistent improvement in cancer waiting times each month”.

A spokeswoman for Guy’s & St Thomas’ said “improving how quickly people can access our services is a key priority for the trust”, adding: “While we have made progress in the past year, we recognise that further improvement is required, and we are ambitious about how quickly we can do this.”

This article is from Sky News – Best and worst NHS trusts for cancer treatment revealed | UK News | Sky News

February is traditionally recognised as Free Wills Month, a nationwide campaign where participating solicitors offer to write or update basic Wills free of charge. This initiative provides a unique opportunity to put your affairs in order and ensure your loved ones are cared for, all while supporting a cause that matters to you.

At OPA Cancer Charity, we rely on the generosity of our supporters to continue providing vital care and services to cancer patients and their families. By choosing to leave a gift to us in your Will, you can help ensure that our work continues long into the future. Even a small legacy can make a significant difference, helping fund patient support programmes, research initiatives, and awareness campaigns.

Why consider legacy giving?

  • It allows you to leave a lasting impact beyond your lifetime.

  • You can support the causes that have touched your life or the lives of loved ones.

  • It’s an opportunity to make a meaningful difference without affecting your current finances.

Whether you’re writing a Will for the first time or updating an existing one, Free Wills Month is the perfect chance to take this important step. Participating solicitors across the UK are offering their services free of charge, making it easier than ever to plan for the future.

If you would like to find out more about leaving a gift in your Will to OPA Cancer Charity, please check our more information here- https://opa.org.uk/leave-a-gift-in-your-will/

Your generosity can help create a legacy of hope and support for those affected by cancer.

Together, we can make a lasting difference.