In partnership with North West Cancer Research, we awarded a three-year Fellowship to Dr Kelechi Njoku, from the University of Manchester, to develop a simpler and kinder test for detecting womb cancer. We will be funding Dr Njoku’s work with up to £120,000 each year for the next three years.
Womb cancer is the most common type of gynaecological cancer and the fourth most common cancer in women, and it is on the rise. Currently in the UK, when someone has the ‘red flag’ symptom of womb cancer, abnormal bleeding, they are faced with a series of uncomfortable and invasive tests. These include transvaginal ultrasounds (where a scanner probe is inserted into the vagina to visualise the inside of the womb), hysteroscopy (where a thin camera is put into the womb through the vagina and cervix to see inside the womb), and biopsies. But, Dr Njoku and his team have found that they can use proteins in vaginal fluid to test for womb cancer- without any invasive techniques or discomfort- using a small device that is put into the vagina.
I have been working on developing simple, non-invasive and accurate tests for the early detection of womb cancer over the past few years and I am delighted to receive this funding from The Eve Appeal and the Northwest Cancer Research to continue the work.- Dr Kelechi Njoku
We know that to get to a place where all gynaecological cancers are prevented or detected at an early stage, we need to invest in the next generation of researchers and support them in becoming leaders in the field.
A huge thank you to all of our supporters, and to North West Cancer Research, for helping make this fellowship possible.