Left to right Professor Dame Lesley Fallowfield, Research Fellow Dr Caroline Garratt , Liz Hurley and Dr Mel Flint
Hurley spent time in a Ογ½ΆΦ±²₯ research laboratory and took part in a test which measures levels of stress (cortisol) hormones, using saliva samples provided before and after a relaxing activity, as well as meeting patients at a local hospital.
She said: “Every 19 seconds, somewhere in the world, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. The work that the team at BSMS is doing is just one example of the extensive ground-breaking research that is being undertaken by the BCRF around the world, with generous support from The Estée Lauder Companies’ Breast Cancer Campaign, as part of its mission to create a breast cancer-free world.”
Dame Lesley, DBE, BSc, DPhil, FMedSci, Professor of Psycho-oncology at University of Sussex and UK BCRF Grantee, said: “Going through breast cancer treatment can be an extremely challenging and stressful time for patients and their families. We want to establish whether stress reducing activities performed on a regular basis could have a positive effect on not only patients’ wellbeing, but also on improving the effectiveness of their treatment as we know that cortisol can cause cancer cells to grow and also interfere with treatment. Collectively, we are committed to the mission of working towards a breast cancer-free world.”