The liver is the largest organ in the body after the skin and has many diverse, complex and beautifully coordinated functions that include filtering our blood and breaking down toxic substances, such as alcohol and drugs.
In their 2022 research strategy, CRUK designated liver cancer as one of its priority cancers of unmet need. More than 6200 people are diagnosed with primary liver cancer (cancer which starts in the liver) every year in the UK, and ten-year survival is currently less than 10%, highlighting that more needs to be done to improve our understanding of the disease and its outcomes.
To help improve the prognosis for patients with liver cancer, we have recently launched the Oxford LIVer cancer centre of Excellence (OLivE). The Centre is organised into three overarching themes and seeks to involve patients in guiding our research priorities. These themes are:
- New diagnostic tools for early detection
- New/more effective immunotherapies
- Better disease models
Professor Eleanor Barnes, Professor of Hepatology and Experimental Medicine and Director of OLivE said, ‘I am delighted to lead OLivE, which builds on our highly successful DeLIVER study: a CRUK-funded multidisciplinary prospective study aimed at enhancing early detection methods for hepatocellular carcinoma. Primary and metastatic cancer in the liver is a huge unmet need. OLivE aims to improve outcomes for patients by bringing together clinicians, scientists with different expertise and patients to better understand what causes liver cancer, how we can detect it earlier, improve treatment options and event prevent cancer from developing in the first place.’
You can read more about OLivE and the multidisciplinary team involved on the centre webpage.