The Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance has awarded £135,000 through its Cancer Research and Innovation Awards to three projects run by the Humber Health Partnership. These initiatives aim to translate innovative ideas into practical research and tangible improvements for cancer patients.
The funded projects include a digital patient monitoring system, a novel test for women aged 45 and over experiencing abnormal bleeding, and the expansion of skin cancer treatment to more patients across additional hospital services and community settings.
Aswathi Shanker, Operations Director for the Cancer Network Care Group, stated: “Our three projects running on both banks of the Humber will allow us to trial new ways of working, all with the aim of improving care for patients, reduce health inequalities and ensure everyone has access to the best possible treatment and diagnostic services.”
These three projects are part of a larger £325,000 allocation from the Cancer Alliance, supporting eight initiatives aimed at developing supportive care, including tests, digital monitoring, investigations, and actions to reduce inequalities in lung cancer screening.
The SACT ePROMs project received £35,000 for new electronic software. Patients undergoing Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) can use this to report their progress or symptoms, improving monitoring and freeing up capacity for additional patient reviews.
The WID-easy Test for Endometrial Cancer Triage was awarded £50,000. This project will trial a minimally invasive swab test for peri- and post-menopausal women with abnormal bleeding, aiming to identify or exclude endometrial cancer without the need for more invasive procedures. This seeks to reduce patient anxiety and pressure on diagnostic waiting lists.
Clearmark Beyond Plastics also received £50,000 to extend a trial comparing dermoscopy-guided removal of certain skin cancers with standard procedures. The trial aims to enhance surgical-margin accuracy and minimise repeat excisions, with plans to integrate the treatment into hospital dermatology and community health services.
Lucy Turner, Managing Director of Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance, commented: “Our funding gives teams the opportunity to turn strong ideas into evidence, whether that means making diagnosis less invasive, bringing care closer to home, improving treatment capacity or tackling inequalities in access. We look forward to working with the successful teams and sharing what their projects achieve for patients across Humber and North Yorkshire.”
