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To mark World Cancer Day 2025 on 4 February, Chief Clinical Officer Sir Jonathan Asbridge shares why Sciensus supports this leading international awareness day and looks at the important role it has in raising awareness to help cancer prevention.

World Cancer Day 2025

The World Cancer Day 2025 campaign

The World Cancer Day theme for 2025-2027 ‘United by Unique’ places people at the centre of care and explores new ways of making a difference. According to Jonathan it’s a theme that resonates strongly with Sciensus’ ethos of ‘people-centred is what we do’.

As a leading European life sciences organisation, Sciensus helps over 240,000 patients a year gain access to beneficial treatments and candidate therapies, including home treatments for people with cancer, delivered by specialist oncology nurses who have undertaken rigorous training. This vital service supports not just cancer patients, but their families, friends and carers too.

 

World Cancer Day 2025

Because our clinical care is one-to-one, we can build the service around the person. We interact with patients to make the whole experience as person-centred as we can. From negotiating times for their treatment, to thinking about their loved ones and friends, it’s about treating them right. There is nobody in our company that doesn’t think about the patients first; who doesn’t think of everything we do and if it makes a difference for the people we serve. It’s a privilege to work here and it’s a privilege to do what we do.

Professor Sir Jonathan Asbridge

The current cancer landscape

Jonathan said we need to think about cancer as a long-term condition. Even when it is incurable, the Sciensus team is helping cancer patients to live full lives for many years.

He added: “It used to be that if it was thought the patient had cancer, they had to have major surgery to see what the problem was. Now they have a scan. The technology is really accelerating, which is very exciting. The starting point for cancer is prevention. Weight, diet, smoking and alcohol are all risk factors, while we know exercise is very good for you.”

“The next target is screening and surveillance. There are highly successful screening programmes such as breast and cervical screening, and prevention such as these is key. Surgery is still the gold standard for treatment in many areas. If cancer is detected early enough you can cure it with surgery. When cancer has already spread, the drugs we have available now, such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy are excellent.”

Cancer care at home

How Sciensus makes an impact on people with cancer

The new Sciensus Cancer Companion app is helping patients to take control of their treatment. It allows them to record data on how they react to and feel about their treatments, as well as offering support and guidance. It can also help them access a 24-hour care bureau, and escalate their treatment if necessary. Sciensus works closely with the NHS, private medical companies and pharmaceutical companies to help evolve the treatment of cancer.

Jonathan explained that Sciensus patients using private medical insurance are often some of the first people to access new cancer treatments. Through treating these patients, the Sciensus team can build up evidence for NICE, the NHS body that evaluates new medical treatments, which might then support the funding of the latest cancer medicines and treatments for everyone.

The future of cancer treatment

Jonathan said there are many exciting developments in the treatment of cancer, including the continual advancement of radiotherapy and radiation treatments.

He welcomed proton beam therapy, which is particularly effective for treating head and neck cancers and children, being made available in the UK. He said: “It’s quite extraordinary when you watch it. It is so focused on each cancer cell, it kills them one by one so the treatment is focused just on the cancer itself.”

Sciensus is also looking into offering routine genomic testing — a laboratory procedure that analyses a person’s DNA, or genome, to identify changes that may cause health issues.

This would be done through a blood test or biopsy, and would allow oncologists to pinpoint the best treatment for a patient, as well as working out which treatments would be less effective.

Seek help if necessary

Jonathan said self awareness is very important and advised people to take note of any concerning changes in their body. “Patients need to go to their GP if they have anything they’re concerned about. They can give them advice and send them for further investigations if necessary.”