WOMEN in Torbay and South Devon who are being treated for breast cancer are taking part in a major new clinical research study to improve future treatment for thousands of people a year.

Torbay Hospital has been selected as the first site in the UK to take part in the Trans-EndoNET study to investigate if insulin levels influence how women respond to breast cancer treatment.

Estrogen Receptor-Positive, HER2-Negative (ER+HER2-) is the most common form of breast cancer and accounts for about 70per cent of cases, particularly among post-menopausal women where the hormone oestrogen helps the cancer to grow. Medicines called aromatase inhibitors help lower the amount of oestrogen in the body.

Researchers now want to understand the relationship between insulin and hormone therapies and to see if lower insulin levels are linked with a better response to these important treatments.

About one in three adults older than 50 may be affected by insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome, raising important questions about how metabolic health interacts with cancer treatments.

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust is one of the highest recruiters to cancer trials nationally and patients who are being treated for breast cancer will now be offered the opportunity to take part in the research.

Louise Merker, Consultant Oncoplastic and Reconstructive Surgeon at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, who is leading the research study said: ‘We are proud to be selected as the first site in the UK to take part in this important clinical trial, which will bring huge benefits to women in our community and the country.

‘We are excited to offer our patients the opportunity to take part in this unique and meaningful research.

'Aromatase inhibitors are the mainstay medication for reducing recurrence risk in ER-positive breast cancer.

‘If insulin resistance reduces their efficacy this is an important clinical question to answer to help reduce breast cancer recurrence rates and improve disease free survival.

‘Clinical research is an area where we really punch above our weight, and this important research trial has the potential to save and prolong the lives of our mothers, daughters, sisters, aunties and friends from this type of breast cancer in the future.’

The research study is being led by the University of Oxford and has been funded by a partnership between the UKRI Medical Research Council (MRC) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

This study will provide the evidence needed to inform whether future clinical trials exploring dietary or drug-based interventions to lower insulin levels could be used alongside aromatase inhibitors to improve outcomes for people with breast cancer.

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust is also at the forefront of cancer research, and was one of only six trial sites in the country (and the only NHS trust in the South West) to be part of the LaunchPad cancer vaccine trial to create a personalised vaccine using the patient’s DNA which is designed to reduce the risk of cancer returning.

Torbay Hospital has now opened its study, with 31 other hospitals expected to begin recruiting patients in the coming months.