What's new

This page tells you about updates and recent information added to CancerHelp UK. There is information about

New information
Reviews and updates of specific cancer sections
Reviews of other sections
NICE, SIGN, SMC and AWMSG recommendations
Clinical trials
Answering your questions

CancerHelp UK is the patient information website of Cancer Research UK.

Cancer Research UK was formed on February 4th 2002, by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund. Cancer Research UK is the world's largest cancer research organisation outside the USA. It is the UK's foremost cancer charity. If you would like to contribute to the work of Cancer Research UK, please click our donations button on the left of your screen.

CancerHelp UK wins best website award

CancerHelp UK has been voted Best UK Health Website of 2007 and Most Popular Health Website 2007. The award was judged on the quality of the content, design and navigation. We are proud to have so many visitors – over 2 million of our pages are looked at every month. Thank you to everyone who voted for us, allowing us to win for the second year running!

CancerHelp UK has NHS Direct Exemplary Information Partner status

In November 2003, we were awarded exemplary partner status in the NHS Direct On Line Information Partner's Programme. This programme aims to set high standards for the production and maintenance of on line health information. To gain exemplary status, we have implemented many accessibility criteria, which make it easier for those with disabilities to use the site.

We added HTTP file compression to the site in October 2003. This should mean that it is faster to load for you. If you have any difficulties at all with the site, such as broken links or pages not loading, please do let us know by clicking on contact us at the top of the screen.

New information

In December 2008 we added a section about the side effects of cancer drugs, including a page about sex, fertility and cancer drugs. We also added a page about sex and chemotherapy in men into the chemotherapy section.

In October we added pages about

If you need an ileostomy for bowel cancer
Biological therapies for bowel cancer
Coping with bowel cancer

We also added information about chordoma tumours into our page about the types of bone cancer. And we added information about keyhole surgery for breast cancer into the what’s new in breast cancer page.

In September 2008 we added information about 4 combination chemotherapies – ECX, FOLFIRI, PMitCEBO and TAC. In August we added information about a chemotherapy combination called E-CMF. We have also added pages about steroids and about the biological therapies, bortezomib (Velcade) and erlotinib (Tarceva).

In July 2008 we added a page about low calcium levels in people with cancer into the cancer symptoms section.

In June 2008 we added a section about skin problems with cancer into the cancer symptoms section. We also added pages about Reiki and Traditional Chinese Medicine into our complementary and alternative therapy section.

In May 2008 we added pages into the prostate cancer section about risk factors for early prostate cancer, steroid treatment for prostate cancer and monitoring prostate cancer. We also added information about herbal medicines into our complementary therapy section.

In April 2008 we added new pages on X-rays and blood tests into the cancer tests section.

Work on our specific cancer drugs section is ongoing. We have added more information about the following hormone therapies for breast cancer: tamoxifen, anastrozole and goserelin. And for prostate cancer: goserelin, bicalutamide, flutamide and cyproterone acetate.

We are currently preparing further information about specific new cancer drugs. We are also preparing more information about the many combination chemotherapies used in the UK.

Reviews of specific cancer sections

If there are any major developments, publications of NICE guidance or clinical guidelines, we amend the specific cancer sections and other relevant sections at the time. In addition to that, all CancerHelp UK sections are routinely reviewed and updated yearly.

In December 2008, we updated the

Bone cancer section
Non Hodgkin's lymphoma section
Vaginal cancer section
Nasopharyngeal cancer section
Womb cancer

In November 2008, we updated the

Melanoma skin cancer section
Brain tumours section
Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) section

In October 2008, we updated the

Bowel cancer section
Liver cancer section
Testicular cancer section
Pancreatic cancer section

In September 2008, we updated the

Hodgkin's lymphoma section

In August 2008, we updated the

Unknown primary cancer section

In July 2008 we updated the

Thyroid cancer section

Reviews of other information sections

In December we reviewed the

Ulcerating cancers (fungating wounds) section

We also reviewed many of our questions and answers about cancer and our pages about acupuncture and osteopathy in the complementary therapies section.

In November 2008 we reviewed the

Cancer and sickness section
Travel and cancer section
Graft versus host disease (GVHD) section
Cancer and fever section
Counselling section
Bisphosphonate treatment
Understanding clinical trials

In October we reviewed the tiredness and cancer section, the bowel problems with cancer section, the mortgages, pensions, loans and insurance section, the chemotherapy section and the cancer and pain control section.

In August 2008 we reviewed the complementary and alternative therapy section. In June 2008 we updated the diet problems with cancer section.

Clinical trials

We are making every effort to extend and maintain our clinical trials database. This work is ongoing and by the end of November 2008 we had 347 trials listed that are open to patients in the UK. We aim to provide as comprehensive a listing of UK clinical trials in cancer care as we can. We would welcome your feeback on the clinical trials database. Click on 'feedback' at the top of any page and send us your views.

In November 2008 the following trials were added to our clinical trials database

A study looking at PET scans for people having treatment for breast cancer
A trial looking at conventional versus keyhole surgery, plus ways to improve recovery, for people with bowel cancer (EnROL)
A trial looking at abiraterone acetate and prednisolone for men with prostate cancer that has spread to another part of the body (COU-AA-301)
A study looking to develop a blood test for use in breast screening (05/Q1702/13)
A trial looking at high dose methotrexate and glucarpidase for people recently diagnosed with primary lymphoma of the brain or spinal cord
A trial looking at ofatumumab for diffuse large B cell lymphoma that has come back after treatment
A trial to compare chemotherapy with hormone therapy before surgery for breast cancer (NEOCENT)
A trial looking at the immune system in men having radiotherapy for prostate cancer (Prostate Radiotherapy Pneumovax Study or PRP)
A study of health and lifestyle in people who have had cancer
A trial looking at Reolysin with chemotherapy for advanced cancer, including head and neck cancer
A study looking at a new immunotherapy to treat non small cell lung cancer (MAGRIT)

NICE, SIGN, SMC and AWMSG recommendations

Below is a list of the most recent NICE, SIGN, SMC and AWMSG guidance we have added to the site. NICE stands for National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. NICE look at the evidence on new treatments and procedures and publish guidelines for use on the NHS in England.

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) and the NHS Quality Improvement for Scotland provide clinical guidelines and look at the evidence on new treatments and procedures for the NHS in Scotland. The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) provides advice to NHS Boards and their Area Drug and Therapeutics Committees (ADTCs) across Scotland about using medicines.

The All Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG) advises the NHS in Wales about using medicines and drugs.

There is a 'question and answer' on NICE and what they do in our cancer treatment QandA section.

In November 2008, we added NICE guidance on

Erlotinib (Tarceva) for non small cell lung cancer
Electrically-stimulated chemotherapy in the bladder for early bladder cancer

In October 2008, we added SMC guidance on

Caelyx (liposomal doxorubicin) for advanced myeloma

In September 2008, we added SMC guidance on

Pemetrexed (Alimta) for advanced non-small cell lung cancer
Alemtuzumab (MabCampath) for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL)

In August 2008, we added SMC guidance on

Trabectedin (Yondelis) for advanced soft tissue sarcoma
Ibritumomab (Zevalin) as maintenance therapy for follicular lymphoma

In July 2008, we added NICE guidance on

Keyhole surgery (laparoscopic gastrectomy) for stomach cancer
Internal radiotherapy for breast cancer after surgery

and SMC guidance on

Sorafenib for liver cancer

and AWMSG guidance on

Docetaxel for squamous cell head and neck cancer
Lenalidomide for myeloma

In June 2008, we added NICE guidance on

Cetuximab (Erbitux) for locally advanced squamous cell head and neck cancer