Sarah’s legacy continues

The second phase of a breast cancer study created at the request of Girls Aloud singer, Sarah Harding, will begin this year.

Funded by The Christie Charity Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal, phase two of the BCAN-RAY (Breast Cancer Risk Assessment in Younger Women) study will involve the creation of a new medical role named in honour of Sarah Harding who, following her diagnosis with breast cancer, was treated at The Christie hospital in Manchester and died in September 2021 at just 39 years old.

The ‘Sarah Harding Young Women’s Breast Cancer Fellowship’ means that Sarah’s name will live on through a permanent senior research laboratory post focusing on understanding and mitigating breast cancer risks for women in their 30s.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women aged 35-50 years in the UK, with an estimated 10,000 women a year diagnosed under the age of 50. 

Due to begin in September 2025, The Sarah Harding Young Women’s Breast Cancer Fellowship will build on the work of the BCAN-RAY study, one of the world’s first research programs to identify breast cancer risks in younger women without a family history of the disease – mirroring Sarah’s own experience.

The appointed Fellow’s research will be focused on new ways to prevent and treat breast cancer in young women with the goal of reducing the number who die from the disease.

Led by Dr Sacha Howell from The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester University Foundation Trust (MFT) and The University of Manchester, the first phase of BCAN-RAY began in May 2023 with funding from The Christie Charity, Cancer Research UK and The Shine Bright Foundation.

The study is focused on exploring risk factors and creating personalised early screening options for women as young as 30. At the moment in the UK, women are only invited for routine breast screenings every three years from the age of 50 to 70. By identifying younger at-risk women, BCAN-RAY intends to provide early interventions for them via preventative treatment.

The initial phase of the BCAN-RAY study, which is still ongoing, aims to recruit 1,000 women aged 30 to 39. 750 of these women are being recruited by GP invitation and will have no strong family history of breast cancer and don’t have breast cancer. The other 250 young women do have breast cancer and are being recruited from The Nightingale Centre, part of MFT, and breast oncology centres in Greater Manchester, including The Christie hospital, Cheshire, Liverpool and Lancaster.

These BCAN-RAY participants are asked to complete a questionnaire; have a low dose risk assessment mammogram (which is not a diagnostic mammogram and uses less than 10% of the radiation dose of a standard mammogram); and provide a saliva sample for genetic testing.

More than 300 subtle changes in DNA, that are associated with breast cancer risk, are analysed in conjunction with collaborators at Cambridge University, to develop a personalised genetic score for each woman. These mammographic and genetic scores are then combined with other factors such as when a woman’s periods started, alcohol consumption and use of the contraceptive pill, to provide a truly personalised breast cancer risk score.

To date, the BCAN-RAY study has recruited 500 women aged between 30 and 39 years old, who have had their risk assessment appointments; 404 have been given their risks – 88 were found as ‘increased risk’ and 316 as ‘average risk’.

58 women (out of the 88) at increased risk have had telephone consultations to discuss the implication of their increase in risk, including strategies to reduce risk through exercise, diet and medication advice. Early breast screening is offered when the risk hits a certain level, which is at different ages for each woman. So far 18 women have had their first mammogram, and none have had a recall or had a cancer identified. Once screening has started the women are offered regular screening every year until their NHS breast screening starts aged 50. 

“We’re really confident that we have a system that is working, from the results so far, which is great news,” said Dr Howell, who was also Sarah Harding’s consultant when she was being treated at The Christie. “These findings mean that we may be able to offer personalised ways to predict and prevent breast cancer more widely in the population in future.

“We have expanded the recruitment sites for this study beyond The Christie hospital to other cancer units at Lancaster, Wirral, Bolton, Tameside, Leighton, Wigan, and Macclesfield. In five years’ time we would like to see the risk prediction for breast cancer in young women rolled out across the UK so we can reduce the number of deaths and improve lives.

“We have made great strides in the first phase of our BCAN-RAY study, and ‘The Sarah Harding Young Women’s Breast Cancer Fellowship’ will bring us a step closer to achieving Sarah’s goal. Her wish was that no other young woman should experience the shock and devastation of a breast cancer diagnosis when they have no reason to think they are at risk and have no family history of the disease.”

Sarah’s bandmates, Cheryl Tweedy, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh are committed to this vital ongoing research and are passionate about the importance of keeping Sarah’s legacy alive by fulfilling her wishes to help identify young women at risk of breast cancer and give them the best possible chance of survival from the disease.

The bandmates said: “Before Sarah passed away, we promised her we would fulfil her wish of raising as much money as possible for vital breast cancer research. Too many young women who have no reason to believe they are at risk of breast cancer are dying from the disease. We miss Sarah every day and will do everything in our power to support research in her name to reduce the chances of other women going through what she experienced.”

Research and studies such as this are central to The Christie Charity’s commitment to supporting The Christie hospital’s vision of ‘learning from every patient’ and trebling the number of patients participating in research by 2030. Studies have shown that cancer patients treated at research-intensive hospitals have better outcomes than those treated in hospitals with little or no research activity. The Charity has pledged to support and fund this goal with £30m over the next five years with the ultimate aim of bringing tomorrow’s treatments to patients faster.

To donate to The Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal go to  www.christie.nhs.uk/the-christie-charity/donate/sarah-harding.

The Christie Charity supports the work of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust providing enhanced 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.