The future of cancer

An eminent cancer specialist is to give a talk on the future of the disease at the University of St Andrews.

Professor Karol Sikora, Global Vice President of Clinical Research (Oncology) at Pharmacia Corporation, will give the Bute Centenary Lecture on the evening of Thursday 28 September 2000.

The lecture will focus on the future of prevention and treatment and the financial implications for the National Health Service. Professor Sikora will argue that the NHS is not doing enough to anticipate the future and embrace it but, instead, is continuing to create a massive bureaucracy which is slow to adapt to change.

Also Visiting Professor of International Cancer Medicine and Honorary Consultant Oncologist at Imperial College School of Medicine, London, Professor Sikora studied medicine at Cambridge and the Middlesex Hospital and, after registrar posts at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, became a research student at the MRC Laboratory for Molecular Biology, Cambridge. After obtaining his PhD, he spent a year as a clinical fellow at Stanford University, California before returning to direct the Ludwig Institute, Cambridge. He has been Clinical Director for Cancer Services at Hammersmith for 12 years. He established a major cancer research laboratory at Hammersmith funded by the Imperial Cancer Research Fund and was Deputy Director (Clinical Research) of the ICRF. From 1997 to 1999, he was Chief Executive of the WHO Cancer Programme based in Lyon.

Professor Sikora has published over 300 papers and written/edited 16 books including Treatment of Cancer – the standard British postgraduate textbook now going to its 4th edition. He is on the editorial board of several journals and is the founding editor of Gene Therapy and Cancer Strategy. He is a former member of the UK Health Department’s Expert Advisory Group on Cancer (the Calman-Hine Committee), the Committee on Safety of Medicines and still serves on the National Cancer Forum.

The Bute Centenary Lectures are part of the centenary year celebrations of the Bute Medical Buildings. Further details can be obtained from Louise Taylor, Development Officer (Research and Stewardship), University of St Andrews, St Salvator’s College, North Street, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9AL (telephone 01334 462102). A further lecture will be given next month.

ENDS

NOTE TO EDITORS – The event will take place in the Bute Medical Buildings at 5.15pm on Thursday 28 September 2000. Should you wish to send a reporter/photographer, please contact Claire Grainger, contact details below. Due to the nature of Professor Sikora’s talk, it is not possible to supply press with an advance copy.

Issued by Beattie Media on behalf of the University of St Andrews For more information please contact Claire Grainger on 01334 462530, 07730 415 015 or email cg24@st- andrews.ac.uk Ref: sikora/standrews/chg/25sep2000