Engineering quality of life for people with advanced cancers

Spinal cord - A major £7 million research collaboration between UCL, the University of Leeds and Imperial College London has been launched to develop a new imaging and keyhole surgery approach to treating secondary bone tumours of the spine. Known as metastatic bone disease, the condition is particularly associated with breast cancer, and occurs when tumours from a primary cancer spread to bone. This can cause vertebrae to weaken and eventually fracture, leaving patients in severe pain, immobility and requiring surgery. In some cases the fracture can damage the spinal cord and cause paralysis. For these patients, quality of life is a key issue and complex surgery may be inappropriate. Researchers from UCL, the University of Leeds and Imperial College London will develop an alternative approach, based on developing new imaging and modelling techniques, that will enable clinicians to predict which patients are at a high risk of a vertebra fracturing. Patients would then be fitted, using minimally invasive surgery, with a tailor-made implant to strengthen the spine and prevent fracture.