Cannock mother of twins who both had cancer welcomes £1million investment in radiotherapy research

Julie Parton's son Ben was diagnosed with an aggressive, hard to treat ‘glioblastoma’ – a rare type of brain tumour - when he was just 11. Despite surgery and radiotherapy, Ben died eight months later in December 2019. Within two weeks of his brother's funeral, his twin Jack was diagnosed with leukaemia, leaving him facing three and a half years of chemotherapy treatment.

Now aged 17 and cancer free, Jack and his mum Julie are backing Cancer Research UK’s decision to make Birmingham one of seven centres of excellence, forming part of a multi-million-pound UK-wide radiation research network called RadNet. 

The initiative was first launched in 2019 to accelerate advances in radiotherapy research and now scientists at The University of Birmingham have been awarded £1 million over the next five years.

Prof Jason Parsons, Director of the RadNet Centre at the University of Birmingham, said the grant would help fund research into ‘the next generation’ of radiotherapy treatments that could significantly improve outcomes for children’s cancers as well as hard-to-treat tumours such as those of the brain, head and neck.

Julie said: “It’s thanks to research that Jack’s still here and I thank God for that every day. Even though there’s still work to be done, treatments for leukaemia have improved massively over the years but we haven’t seen anywhere near the same advances in brain tumour research.

“That’s why I’m excited to see this investment in radiotherapy happening now. Radiotherapy gave us precious months with Ben that we may not have had. Now we want to do everything we can to help increase donations for projects like this so that other families stay together for longer.”

Jack, who has just begun a carpentry apprenticeship, added: “I’m glad to hear that more money is being invested in radiotherapy research. I want to see a world where people with brain tumours have the same chance to live life that I’ve had.”

The RadNet Birmingham team is unique in that it has access to the only ‘cyclotron’ in the UK dedicated to research into proton beam therapy and other particles such as helium. This will enable them to investigate safer and more precise treatments for both children and adults using proton and helium ion radiation.

In addition, the team has the UK’s only neutron accelerator, a device that will enable them to study groundbreaking new developments into boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), an alternative form of radiotherapy that is significantly more effective than other forms of radiotherapy.

Scientists hope that BNCT could offer fresh hope to patients with aggressive and very resistant glioblastomas like Ben’s in years to come.

“The new funding is a fantastic recognition of our innovative research in this area,” said Prof Parsons. “Our unique facilities and cross-department collaborations with our biology, physics and clinical teams puts us at the forefront of radiation research meaning we can really start to push boundaries.”

Prof Parsons said recent breakthroughs in particle therapy and BNCT research meant they were a step closer to being able to treat radiotherapy resistant cancers of the head and neck, and brain.

“The key to BNCT is to get boron compounds specifically into tumour cells” he explained. “Once irradiated with the neutron accelerator, the boron is broken down into very reactive particles which drive tumour cell death while sparing the normal tissue. 

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"Whilst BNCT has been around for decades, scientists including ourselves are unlocking new ways to make sure this treatment is safe but also more effective for patients, which makes our research incredibly exciting.”

Research investments like RadNet are made possible by the generosity of Cancer Research UK supporters. That’s why Julie and Jack are urging people across the region to help save more lives by donating monthly to the charity.

Cancer Research UK scientists laid the foundations for modern radiotherapy back in the 1920s. After decades of research to innovate and improve it, today radiotherapy is used to treat more than 140,000 people every year in the UK,* from curing early-stage cancer to easing symptoms for people with terminal illness.

The charity’s goal for ‘next-gen’ radiotherapy is making it more personalised and targeted so that everyone gets the best treatment for their cancer. Launched in 2019, it invested £43m - and recently committed a further £24m - to supporting RadNet, a network of seven centres of excellence aimed at fast-tracking advanced techniques and harnessing new technologies like AI to make radiotherapy smarter. 

Executive Director of Research and Innovation at Cancer Research UK, Dr Iain Foulkes said: “We’ve been at the forefront of radiation research for over 100 years. From making it more targeted to combining it with other treatments and reducing the number of doses needed, Cancer Research UK has changed clinical practice worldwide and made radiotherapy kinder and more effective. But stories like Ben’s show that our work isn’t done yet.

“This latest funding marks a new phase of our RadNet network, advancing research which will further accelerate improvements in radiotherapy treatment in the clinic.

“That’s why we’re grateful to Jack and Julie for helping to raise vital awareness and funds. We want to bring about a world where everybody lives longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer - no matter who they are or where they’re from. And monthly donations are critical to making this a reality.”

Support the future of cancer research at cruk.org/donate