Dr Olubukola Ayodele and her team are investigating how people with secondary breast cancer experience treatment side effects. They also want to know if changing drug doses could improve their quality of life.
In this section
What's the challenge?
Secondary breast cancer treatments can come with a wide range of side effects, which can have a profound effect on someone’s quality of life.
Things like ethnicity, genetics, and other personal characteristics can influence how someone experiences treatment side effects. And we know less about how treatments work for people from minority ethnic groups.
If we can work out personalised drug doses that are effective to treat each secondary breast cancer but not cause significant side effects, we can improve people’s wellbeing, allowing them to have a better quality of life.
While advances in breast cancer treatment have improved survival rates, there are still significant differences in how people experience these treatments. This is especially true for women from different ethnic backgrounds, who may experience varying side effects. Understanding these differences is crucial for ensuring all women receive the best care possible.
Dr Olubukola Ayodele
The science behind the project
Finding the right treatment dose can be complicated, especially when different people react differently to the same treatment. Olubukola’s team want to understand how different groups of people, particularly from minority ethnic backgrounds, experience secondary breast cancer treatments.
The team want to find ways to optimise the doses of these treatments to make them as effective and gentle as possible for everyone.
The team is conducting a national survey of people with secondary breast cancer to study:
- How people understand the idea of dose optimisation
- Whether they have discussed it with their doctors
- If they feel that their treatment is tailored to their individual needs
They also want to know about any challenges people have faced in their treatment, like side effects or difficulties in accessing care. And they’ll find out how people from different ethnicities experience treatment side effects.
The researchers will also hold focus groups to better understand the perspectives of people with secondary breast cancer.
Finally, the team want to use their findings to develop recommendations for treatment teams, to help them personalise drug doses and offer better breast cancer care.
What difference will this project make?
By focusing on the unique needs of people with secondary breast cancer, the research will contribute to a healthcare system that is better tailored to support them, and more focussed on their wellbeing.
And by understanding the experiences of people from different ethnicities, this research will help make secondary breast cancer care more inclusive.
How many people could this project help?
Thousands. An estimated 61,000 people are living with secondary breast cancer in the UK. This research could help them have a better quality of life by providing treatment doses that are kinder but still effective.
Help make treatments kinder
Your support helps fund research that could improve quality of life for people with secondary breast cancer.