Category: News

We’re delighted to announce our support for the launch of the ‘Heartburn Health’ programme — a major UK-based research initiative dedicated to improving care for people experiencing heartburn, acid reflux or indigestion. This programme aims to build a community of volunteers, gather data on symptoms and treatments, and enable future studies that may lead to better detection, management and outcomes.

About the programme

Heartburn health is the leading research into heartburn, indigestion & acid reflux – 70,000 people are already taking part in the UK’s largest research programme into heartburn, indigestion and acid reflux. The NHS and Cancer Research UK are supporting this research programme​. Taking part could be the difference in improving future care.​

To improve care for people with heartburn, indigestion and acid reflux, the University of Cambridge, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trustand Queen Mary University of London are working with the NHS to set up Heartburn Health.

Heartburn Health aims

Heartburn, indigestion and acid reflux are common symptoms. They can cause daily discomfort and sometimes need long-term medication (e.g. Omeprazole or Gaviscon). In rare cases, these symptoms can lead to more serious health problems.

This programme will build a community of volunteers with heartburn. This will allow experts to research issues like how to manage symptoms, improve medication and detect more serious health problems early (e.g. cancer), when they are easier to treat.

Find out more – https://www.heartburnhealth.org/

Planning a holiday should be exciting — but if you live with a long‑term health condition, it’s important to get your travel insurance right before you fly. For many people affected by cancer and other health challenges, appropriate travel cover isn’t just sensible assurance — it’s peace of mind.

What Counts as a Pre‑Existing Medical Condition?

In travel insurance terms, a pre‑existing medical condition is any illness, injury, or health issue that you’ve had before buying your policy or before your trip begins — whether you’re currently being treated for it or it was in the past. This can include conditions like cancer, heart disease, asthma, diabetes, neurological conditions, and many more.

Even if a condition feels “under control” or isn’t currently causing symptoms, insurers generally still expect you to declare it when getting a quote. Failing to do so can mean your policy won’t pay out if something goes wrong.

Why Full Disclosure Matters

It might be tempting to skip mentioning a condition — especially if you’re worried about the price — but this is risky. Research shows that many UK travellers don’t always declare their full medical history, either because they aren’t sure what needs to be declared or because they assume minor issues won’t matter.

The problem is that travel insurers often verify medical histories during claims. If a condition isn’t disclosed, related medical costs — which can be extremely high overseas — may not be covered. That could leave you footing the bill yourself if you need treatment abroad.

What Travel Insurance Can Do for You

Appropriate travel insurance for people with pre‑existing medical conditions can include:

  • Medical treatment abroad: Cover for emergency treatment if your health condition flares up while travelling.

  • Repatriation: If you need to be transported back home because of illness, insurance can cover those costs too.
  • Trip cancellation or disruption cover: If your condition changes before you travel and you need to cancel, certain policies can refund non‑refundable trip costs.

Bear in mind that travel costs for medical care abroad can be enormous compared to care in the UK, especially in places like the United States or private facilities — another reason why proper cover is essential.

Tips for Getting the Right Cover

  1. Be honest and thorough: List every condition you’ve been diagnosed with, treated for, or prescribed medication for — even if it seems minor.

  2. Compare options: Use comparison tools like GoCompare to check specialist travel insurance that covers pre‑existing conditions and find the best prices for your needs. (Link below)

  3. Declare changes: If your health changes between buying your policy and your trip, update your insurer — it could affect your cover.

  4. Ask questions: If you’re unsure about wording in a quote or what you need to declare, contact the insurer or broker directly.

Where to Start

A good place to begin your search for cover is the pre‑existing medical conditions section on GoCompare Travel Insurance — this lets you explore options and find the right policy that understands your health needs.

https://www.gocompare.com/travel-insurance/pre-existing-medical-conditions/

Our Online Community

Discover our HealthUnlocked Community, an invaluable online platform where you can seek solace by connecting with empathetic individuals who genuinely comprehend your experiences.

Our Community serves as a haven for those impacted by acid reflux, Barrett’s oesophagus, oesophageal and gastric cancer, and associated ailments. This inclusive space encompasses not only patients but also their loved ones, caregivers, and individuals who have undergone a diagnosis. Merely perusing through the posts can provide reassurance that you are not alone in your journey.

Our Community operates round the clock, ensuring constant access to peer support whenever you may require it. Embark on a journey of exploration and join our Community today by visiting HealthUnlocked.

Acid Reflux Disease

Acid Reflux forum is an online community where you can talk to other patients who understand what you are going through and can give you help and advice.

 
Oesophageal and Gastric Cancer

Oesophageal and Gastric forum is an online community where you can talk to other patients who understand what you are going through.

https://healthunlocked.com/oesophagealgastriccancer

Barrett’s Oesophagus

Barrett’s Oesophagus is a community dedicated to providing reliable information and support to its members through this online forum.

https://healthunlocked.com/barretts-oesophagus

Caregivers Forum

OPA Carer’s forum is an online community where you can talk to other carers who understand what you are going through and can give advice and help.

https://healthunlocked.com/opacaregivers

Access to innovative cancer medicines transforms lives – helping patients live longer, healthier lives, supporting earlier recovery, and easing pressure on the NHS. By improving how these treatments are valued, funded, and adopted across the health system, we can deliver faster access for patients, better outcomes for families, and a stronger, more resilient life sciences sector that drives the UK’s global leadership in cancer innovation.

This infographic summarises data from the Swedish Institute for Health Economics (IHE) comparator report on cancer in Europe 2025.

 

Access to cancer medicines in the UK can be limited

Despite continued advances in cancer research, UK patients can access fewer cancer medicines through the NHS than patients in comparable European countries, as a smaller proportion of new treatments are approved and funded for routine use.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) assesses the value of new medicines and decides whether they can be funded for NHS patients. Cancer medicines can face substantial challenges in NICE’s evaluation process which can limit patient access to innovative and clinically important medicines in the UK.1

Research from the Blood Cancer Alliance found that blood cancer medicines in the UK face disproportionately high rates of negative outcomes in NICE evaluations, with 44 per cent not recommended and 38 per cent withdrawn during review – limiting patient access compared with other European countries.2

A recent change to NICE’s methods has also been challenging for some cancer medicines: the removal of the end of life modifier, replaced in 2022 with a severity modifier. The change aimed to improve access to treatments for severe conditions, but was implemented in an opportunity cost neutral way. As a result, some cancer medicines which would previously have met NICE’s end of life criteria are now falling short, leading to restricted or no access to some treatments, including in breast and gastric cancers.4

Percent of new cancer medicines (approved by EMA 2019–2022) reimbursed as of January 2024.3

 

 

The UK is falling behind Europe on cancer drugs

The UK is falling behind its European counterparts in access to cancer medicines. For example, in less a decade, England has dropped from being first in Europe for granting access to new treatments, including for cancer, to sixth for all medicines and tenth for cancer medicines5

 

 

Underinvestment and limited adoption are holding back UK cancer outcomes

Cancer accounts for a significant share of UK deaths, yet spending on cancer care and medicines is far below the level needed for its disease burden – five times less than cancer’s share of total deaths – and among the lowest in Europe, ranking 13th per patient and lowest among the EU5 (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK).

 

 

Cancer’s share of total health care expenditure (€) and total disease burden (deaths) in %.

 

 

Cancer care spending per capita in euros (PPP-adjusted) in 2023.

 

 

Spending on cancer medicines per cancer case in 2023.

Expenditure data is based on list prices leading to overestimation.

The UK is falling behind other European countries in the use of new cancer medicines, with variable and sometimes slow NHS adoption contributing to inequalities in access and outcomes.

The UK ranks 15th in Europe for usage relative to the number of cancer cases and last among the EU5 countries. 

The UK can be consistently slow to use new NHS-approved medicines, with adoption particularly lagging behind other countries in lung, prostate, breast and gastrointestinal cancers.

Many new cancer medicines require molecular diagnostic testing to identify the patients who will benefit. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is one of the key methods used to carry out these tests. But regional variation in genomic testing across the UK means some patients still miss out on the medicines best suited to them, with only 0–24 per cent of biopsies in the UK analysed using NGS, compared with over 50 per cent in countries like Denmark and Switzerland.

 

 

These barriers not only affect patients but also deter companies from launching new cancer medicines and running oncology clinical trials in the UK. The UK has seen its global rankings for industry clinical trial placement steadily decline since 2018, with early signs of improvement in 2023. Spain, in contrast, has been the number one European destination for industry clinical trials since 2020.6


 

The solution: increasing investment in cancer medicines and supporting adoption in the NHS

To give cancer patients faster, more equitable access to effective medicines and restore the UK’s leadership in cancer innovation, the government should:

Update NICE’s severity modifier beyond its current opportunity cost-neutral constraint to support improved access to medicines improving and extending the lives of patients with severe and life-limiting cancers.

 

Increase investment in cancer medicines in line with the UK’s disease burden and European comparators.

 

Strengthen clinical trial infrastructure to restore the UK’s global leadership by investing in faster approvals, better recruitment, and closer links between trials and clinical practice.

 

Modernise diagnostic and access infrastructure by expanding nextgeneration sequencing (NGS) and molecular diagnostics across the NHS.

 

 

References 

  1. NICE decisions apply in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Scottish Medicines Consortium makes decisions in Scotland and has a different decision-making framework.
  2. Blood Cancer Alliance, November 2025.
  3. EFPIA, EFPIA Patient W.A.I.T Indicator 2023 survey, June 2024.
  4. Breast Cancer Now, BCN report and ABPI. CONNIE report#4, September 2025.
  5. EFPIA, EFPIA Patient W.A.I.T. Indicator 2018 survey, April 2019; EFPIA, EFPIA Patient W.A.I.T Indicator 2024 survey, May 2025.
  6. ABPI, ‘The road to recovery for UK industry clinical trials’, December 2024.

This information is from ABPI – www.abpi.org.uk/publications/improving-access-to-cancer-medicines/

Implantica AG (publ.), a medtech company at the forefront of introducing advanced technology into the body, including the unique device RefluxStop® for the treatment of acid reflux (GERD), a treatment field with 1 billion sufferers, announces over €1.2 million public healthcare funding from two new multi-year public tender approvals in Italy for its groundbreaking acid reflux procedure, RefluxStop®.

The new public tender approvals were granted at the Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Policlinico “Paolo Giaccone” in Palermo and the Ospedale di Brunico (Azienda Sanitaria dell’Alto Adige) in South Tyrol. These strategic wins further solidify RefluxStop®’s growing acceptance within Italy’s national healthcare system and represent a significant step toward achieving broader product support, adoption, and a pathway to permanent reimbursement across Europe. 

The clinical impact of RefluxStop® is already being realized in Italian hospitals. To date there are 12 RefluxStop® Centers of Excellence in the country. Prof. Antonino Agrusa, Associate Professor of Surgery at University of Palermo and leader of the surgical team at Policlinico “Paolo Giaccone” says, “Nearly a year post-procedure, our patients are experiencing remarkable success with no reflux and excellent swallowing function. This isn’t just an improvement; it’s a paradigm shift for Sicilian patients.”

Dr Günther Sitzmann, Head of the General Surgery Department at Ospedale di Brunico, added: “RefluxStop® allows patients to return to activities that GERD once made impossible. It is deeply rewarding to offer a solution to those who had given up on finding relief.”

Dr. Peter Forsell, CEO of Implantica and inventor of RefluxStop® said, “Governmental recognition of our device’s effectiveness and impact on patient lives is vital for patients who previously had limited treatment options. We sincerely thank Prof. Agrusa and Dr Sitzmann for their commitment and perseverance to help GERD patients get access to the best treatment option they well deserve. Securing public tenders are critical milestones to establish broader adoption and long-term permanent reimbursement. This momentum reinforces our mission to revolutionize GERD treatment for the over 12 million adult GERD sufferers in Italy and 1 billion sufferers around the world.

This information is from – https://www.implantica.com/ 

Celebrating 40 Years
with Fiona Wade

The absolute highlight of our year was celebrating four decades of the OPA. We were delighted to have our Patron, Fiona Wade, join us for our anniversary event. This took place at the Macdonald Burlington Hotel, Birmingham where it all began, which truly made the occasion special. It was a wonderful opportunity to look back on 40 years of providing a vital voice for patients and families. Since 1985, our mission to raise awareness and support those affected by oesophageal and gastric cancers has remained unchanged.

From Crisis to a
New Digital Home

While we celebrated our history, 2025 also brought a moment of extreme stress. We were notified on a Friday afternoon at 4:00 PM that our previous website company had gone into liquidation. However, we turned that challenge into a new beginning. We have been rebuilding our website from scratch, and we want to extend a massive thank you to our amazing website and  IT teams for their incredible support throughout 2025. Their dedication ensured we stayed connected to you during a very difficult transition.

Our 2025 Awareness  Campaigns

Despite the technical hurdles, our advocacy remained at the forefront. This year, we successfully delivered three major campaigns:

  • February: Oesophageal Cancer Awareness Month.
  • November: Acid Reflux Awareness & Gastric (Stomach) Cancer Awareness.
Our Commitment: Free Resources for All

This year has been exceptionally busy and successful for our fundraising efforts, and we want to be transparent about how those funds are used. Our absolute priority is ensuring that every penny raised goes directly towards providing free literature and resources to those who need them most.

To make sure vital information is never placed behind a paywall, we focus our funding on creating and distributing high-quality resources at no cost. As a result, we are not currently able to commit funds to direct research; instead, we ensure all our materials are freely available to:

  • Patients and caregivers navigating a diagnosis
  • NHS healthcare professionals, including Macmillan cancer nurses
  • Maggie’s Centres, Private Clinics, Charities, & support groups across the UK
Involving You in Research

While our finances are dedicated to these free resources, we still believe research is vital. We take great pride in involving our community in participating in important research initiatives. By taking part in these projects, you help shape the future of care.

Find Out More
Support Our 40 Year Appeal

To help us continue providing free information and support to those affected by oesophageal and gastric cancers, we have launched our 40 Year Appeal. If you are able to donate, your support will help ensure our vital resources remain freely available.

Donate Today
Looking Ahead to 2026

We are entering the new year with a fresh brand, a new website, and 40 years of momentum. We are already concentrating on some exciting new initiatives for 2026 that we can’t wait to share with you.

Thank you to all our donors, supporters, and friends for an incredible year. Have a lovely Christmas and a peaceful New Year—we look forward to a bright and exciting 2026 together!

With heartfelt gratitude,
The OPA Cancer Charity Team

 

During the Christmas holidays, it’s important to stay safe and know where to turn if you need help.

If you or someone you care about is feeling unwell, in crisis, or needs urgent support, these numbers are available.

Keeping these numbers handy can provide reassurance and guidance, helping you and your loved ones enjoy the festive season with peace of mind.

Written by Louise Peers, PGDip Sleep Medicine and HCPC-registered Clinical Sleep Scientist, this leaflet offers clear, evidence-based and practical guidance to help you understand how everyday food choices can support your sleep and overall wellbeing in a gentle, realistic way. It is designed to cut through conflicting advice and provide simple, supportive information that can be used alongside healthy sleep habits.

Order your free of charge leaflet from the OPA Shop – https://opa.org.uk/product/sleep-and-food-leaflet/

Prioritising research for cancers of the oesophagus and stomach
Christopher M. Jones; University of Cambridge

What do you think researchers should focus on to improve the care provided to patients with cancers of the oesophagus (gullet) or stomach?

There is no doubt that more research is needed and that there are many questions about these cancers that need answering. These relate to all parts of a patient’s journey. This includes questions relating to how to prevent oesophageal and stomach cancers, how to diagnose and treat them more effectively, and how to support people after they have received treatment.

There are unfortunately not enough resources to focus on each of these questions at once. This means we must decide which areas are the most important to focus on first.

Deciding which topics to focus on is difficult. Patients often have different views on what is important to the people looking after them in the healthcare team. This means it is important that we choose areas to research based on what patients and their wider family members think as well as what each member of the healthcare team considers important.

The UK & Ireland Oesophagogastric Group (UKIOG) recognised this and a wider need to find research priorities. To address this, we set up a project to work with patients, people with lived experience of these cancers and healthcare professionals to together agree on which research questions are most important. We also worked closely with charities such as the OPA Cancer Charity (previously known as the Oesophageal Patients Association) to achieve this. With their help, we designed and sent out a survey that asked patients to tell us areas that they thought needed more research.

A total of 455 people took part in this survey and between them suggested over 4000 areas of research. We looked at these areas and grouped them into 92 similar questions. We then asked patients and healthcare professionals to rank which questions mattered most to them. Patients’ views were given strong importance. As a result of this survey, 22-46% of research priorities from healthcare professionals changed.

At the end of this process, we created a list of the top 20 research priorities for oesophageal and gastric cancer. We also created separate lists for research on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of these cancers, as well as for palliative care or improving long-term side effects.

This work has taken many years but was published in 2025. We hope that the results will help ensure that researchers and funding organisations focus on research that will make the most difference to patients.

The top 20 priorities are as follows:

  1. Which combinations of treatments work best for people with oesophageal or stomach cancer?
  2. Which people with oesophageal or stomach cancer should be offered immunotherapy?
  3. Who should have extra treatment after surgery or radiotherapy?
  4. What is the best way to help people maintain good nutrition during treatment for oesophageal or stomach cancer?
  5. Who should be checked (screened) for oesophageal or stomach cancer?
  6. What is the best way to treat oesophageal or stomach cancer when it is found early?
  7. What is the best way to treat Barrett oesophagus (a condition that sometimes leads to oesophageal cancer) when there is a high risk it could turn into cancer?
  8. How can treatment be better tailored to each person with oesophageal or stomach cancer?
  9. Are there some people with oesophageal or stomach cancer who could safely avoid surgery, and how can this be done?
  10. Why are more younger people being diagnosed with oesophageal or stomach cancer?
  11. How can we best support nutrition in people with oesophageal or stomach cancer that cannot be cured?
  12. What is the best way to prepare people for oesophageal or stomach cancer treatment before it starts?
  13. What helps most to improve quality of life and control symptoms for people with oesophageal or stomach cancer that cannot be cured?
  14. What is the best way to check and monitor people with Barrett oesophagus?
  15. Does preparing people before treatment improve their long-term health after oesophageal or stomach cancer treatment?
  16. What prevents oesophageal and stomach cancers from being found earlier?
  17. How can we best support long-term nutrition in people after treatment for oesophageal or stomach cancer?
  18. How can we reduce long-term side effects after surgery for oesophageal or stomach cancer?
  19. What is the best way to monitor people after oesophageal or stomach cancer treatment to spot cancer coming back early?
  20. How can new surgical treatments reach people with oesophageal or stomach cancer more quickly and safely?

If you would like to learn more about the UK & Ireland Oesophagogastric Group, please visit https://ukiog.co.uk/. This project was led by Dr Christopher Jones (Clinical Lecturer, University of Cambridge) and Mr Christopher Peters (Clinical Associate Professor, Imperial College London), along with a large group of healthcare professionals, scientists and patients. We are very grateful for their time and for every patient and healthcare professional who responded to our surveys to help make this project a success.

The results for this survey can be found below.

Research priorities summary_charities

Research priorities_Gut

Channel 4 today announces Cancer Detectives: Finding the Cures, an observational documentary series that will explore the pioneering research that could transform the future of cancer detection, treatment and prevention.

The 3 x 60-minute brand-funded series, produced by Dragonfly North (part of Banijay UK) from its Manchester base, and brokered by WPP’s EssenceMediacom, is a new collaboration with Cancer Research UK that will take viewers inside what has been described as the “Golden Age of cancer research.” 

It will follow Professor Sarah Blagden, who is developing a groundbreaking lung cancer prevention vaccine in what she calls a “once in a generation opportunity,” neurosurgeon and scientist Associate Professor Richard Mair, who treats patients with hard-to-treat brain cancers, and Professor Caroline Dive, who is working on blood tests to detect cancer before it shows up on a scan.

As well as following patients and families undergoing life-saving treatments, the series will also explore the personal backstories and motivations that drive these world-class scientists.

The partnership was brokered by media agency WPP’s EssenceMediacom, which leveraged audience insight to identify Channel 4 as the ideal platform for reaching socially conscious viewers with this programming. 

The series will be promoted from late November across Channel 4’s Facebook, Instagram and streaming platforms.  Cancer Research UK will support with a fully integrated multi-channel campaign to extend reach and engagement.  The three self-contained documentary films aim to deepen public understanding of research into cancer, drive participation, and connect new audiences to Cancer Research UK through purpose-led storytelling.

Jonah Weston, Commissioning Editor at Channel 4, said: “Cancer Detectives: Finding the Cures shines a light on the groundbreaking scientific research currently taking place to detect, prevent and treat cancer. It has been great to partner with Dragonfly and Cancer Research UK on this series and see these amazing scientists at work, as they make amazing breakthroughs already benefitting patients in ways that would have been unthinkable only a few years ago.”

Will Rowson, Co-Creative Director at Dragonfly, said: “This has been a fascinating and eye-opening series to make. We’re enormously grateful to the scientists who have let us into their worlds, to the wonderful hospitals doing extraordinary work and of course to the very special people who have shared their cancer journeys with us.”

Phil Almond, Executive Director of Marketing, Fundraising & Engagement at Cancer Research UK said: “This series offers a powerful glimpse into the future of cancer research – a future where more people live longer, better lives through earlier diagnosis and kinder, more effective treatments. It shows how breakthroughs are already changing lives and highlights the people behind them. We’re especially thankful to the scientists, clinicians and patients who shared their stories. Their openness and experiences bring home what progress really means for those affected by cancer.”

Claire Prince, Head of Branded Entertainment, Creative Futures at EssenceMediacom, said: “It shines a light on the extraordinary scientists behind breakthroughs in detection, treatment and prevention, offering audiences both insight and hope. This programme is a great example of branded entertainment and builds on themes that genuinely matter to many. It’s a powerful meeting of purpose and entertainment that we believe will be transformative for Cancer Research UK.”

Chris Holdom Head of Commercial Partnerships Banijay UK: “We are incredibly proud at Banijay UK to be part of this truly inspiring project. It demonstrates our ongoing commitment to creating powerful partnerships that deliver important storytelling, engage audiences, and make a real impact.”

Channel 4 Sales delivered the project via its newly-formed Partner Lab team which will offer solutions across Partnerships, Sponsorship, Creative Strategy and Production to deliver high-quality campaigns across TV, streaming, sponsorship, and branded entertainment. 

Emma Hopkins, Partner Lab Leader at Channel 4 said: “Partnering with Cancer Research UK on Cancer Detectives: Finding the Cures is a really exciting moment for us. It shows how Channel 4 can use powerful storytelling to both entertain and make a real impact, while giving our partners meaningful, measurable value. By taking a joined-up approach across our platforms, we’re helping brands connect with audiences in smarter, more creative ways.”

Cancer Detectives: Finding the Cures was produced by Dragonfly North, Developed and Executive Produced by both Will Rowson and Paul Windle, Series Director was Nick Shaw and the Series Producer was Valerie Mellon. Production Executive Isabelle Burn, Production Manager Rachael Fish, Legal and Business Affairs Nina Evans. Post Production by Home Post Production. It was commissioned for Channel 4 by Jonah Weston, Commissioning Editor, Specialist Factual. 

This information is from Channel 4 – New Landmark Channel 4 Documentary Series Cancer Detectives: Finding the Cures will explore the pioneering research that could transform the future of cancer detection, treatment and prevention | Channel 4