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Press release posted 7 September 2023
A dedicated cancer doctor from The Christie is going above and beyond his duty of patient care, by taking part in The Great North Run to fundraise for cancer treatments and research for his patients.
This Sunday (10 September 2023), Professor Omer Aziz will be running alongside Sir Mo Farah, and 60,000 other runners, in the world's largest half marathon.
Prof Aziz is taking part in The Great North Run to raise vital research funds for patients with tumours that have spread to the lining of the abdomen (peritoneum). This happens for a range of cancers including colon, ovarian, and appendix cancers and around 30% of patients with these tumour types already have this type of spread at diagnosis.
The Christie’s Colorectal and Peritoneal Oncology Centre (CPOC) is one of only 2 places in the country where patients with peritoneal spread from all 3 of these sites (colon, appendix, and ovarian cancer) are treated with surgery aimed at curing them. This means they are in a unique position to sample and study these tumours.
In the CPOC lab, Prof Aziz and his colleagues study the genes that make these tumours act aggressively, as well as being able to grow them to test new drugs on. They have had great success in setting up this research program and are looking to develop the research and find new treatments for the huge number of patients this affects.
The Christie Charity supports the work of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust providing services over and above what the NHS funds. This includes money for care and treatment, research, education, and extra patient services. Gifts from the public make a huge difference to the care and treatment that The Christie is able to provide to patients and their families.