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Category: News

Andrew’s Story: “A Clinical Trial Gave Me a Second Chance”

Andrew Stanley, 67, from Milton Keynes, had heartburn for years. He never thought much of it. Then in 2023, he was diagnosed with stage 4 oesophageal cancer. At first, he was told there were very few treatment options. But Andrew was offered a place on a clinical trial at Churchill Hospital in Oxford. It was […]

MP Shares Personal Experience of Oesophageal Cancer in Westminster Debate

In January 2026, Patrick Hurley, MP for Southport, spoke in a Westminster Hall debate on Less Survivable Cancers, sharing his own personal experience of oesophageal cancer. The debate drew attention to the cancers with the lowest survival rates and the urgent need for more research, earlier diagnosis, and better public awareness. Oesophageal cancer has a […]

Late Diagnosis of Oesophageal Cancer Has Risen Sharply

The proportion of oesophageal cancer cases diagnosed at the most advanced stage has increased significantly over the past decade in England. In 2013, around a quarter (25.1%) of oesophageal cancers were diagnosed at stage 4. By 2022, that figure had risen to over a third (36.6%). That means 3,348 people were diagnosed at stage 4 […]

Oesophageal Cancer Awareness Month 2026: Know the Symptoms

February is Oesophageal Cancer Awareness Month. OCHRE is joining charities across the UK to help people understand the symptoms of a disease that still claims too many lives too soon. Oesophageal cancer is the seventh most common cause of cancer death in the UK, but many people have never heard of it, or don’t realise […]

Breaking the Silence: Our Campaign for Oesophageal Cancer Awareness Month

It’s Oesophageal Cancer Awareness Month in the UK, and we’re planning to deliver a month-long awareness campaign that we believe could genuinely save lives. The Concept: SILENCE Too many people live with symptoms for far too long without saying anything. Whether it’s persistent heartburn, difficulty swallowing, or unexplained weight loss, the signs of oesophageal cancer […]

Kate Cunningham

Campaign Director

Kate Cunningham specialises in communications and engagement and runs the day to day operation of OCHRE. Her focus is on ensuring that the experience and outcomes of oesophageal cancer patients and their families are represented at every level of government and NHS decision making.

Kate brings many years of communications and public affairs expertise to OCHRE having worked in Government, third sector, consultancy, media, the arts, and football.

Dr Hosney Yosef

Trustee

Dr Hosney Yosef, O.B.E, F.R.C.R, F.R.C.P, F.R.S.M, F.B.I.R, is a retired Clinical Oncologist who was based at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre. He was also an Honorary Senior Lecturer at Glasgow University.

In 2006 he was awarded an O.B.E in recognition of his services to medicine in the West of Scotland. During his time (from 1974) as a cancer specialist at Hairmyres Hospital, he developed, in conjunction with a leading surgeon, the concept of pre-operative chemotherapy and radiotherapy (multi-modality treatment) for Oesophageal cancer which is now standard practice in the treatment of oesophageal cancer.

Prof. Russell Petty

Trustee

Professor Russell Petty’s main research interests are in clinical and translational research in gastro-oesophageal cancers. He was the chief investigator of the recently completed COG trial which was the first Phase III randomised controlled trial of second line therapy in oesophageal cancer and lead the translational arm TRANSCOG which identified a predictive biomarker for a gefitinib responsive subgroup of tumours.

He is a current member of the trial management groups for several UK national clinical trials in gastroesophageal cancer including PLATFORM and GO-2 and the translational research lead for TRANS-GO2 and TRANSCOG2.

Dr Dan Middleton

Trustee

Dan is a Lecturer in the Cancer Epidemiology Research Group of the Centre for Public Health at Queen’s University Belfast. Dan’s previous research has focused on identifying novel risk factors for oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), with extensive fieldwork experience in East Africa while working at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the dedicated cancer prevention research agency of the WHO.

Dan’s work at QUB continues to use environmental epidemiology approaches to address the cancer burden at home, filling a gap of much-needed research on ESCC.

Donald McArthur

Trustee

Mr Donald McArthur is a Consultant Upper Gastro Intestinal Surgeon. He trained in the West of Scotland and works at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

When not in the hospital Donald enjoys outdoor activities with his wife and two daughters and is a keen sailor, cyclist and hill walker.

Darren McAllister

Trustee

Darren is originally from Banff, now living in Balmedie in Aberdeenshire. He has been married to Nicole for 10 years with two amazing children – Jackson and Alix and a husky called Cobain.

Darren studied literature at Binghamton University in upstate New York whilst playing football and now works in a joint role as QHSE Manager and MARPOL Marine Surveyor for Swan & Co. Marine Surveyors in Aberdeen within the oil and gas sector .

Darren lost his Dad in 2015 after a brave fight against oesophageal cancer.

Sue Kee

Trustee

Sue’s career spans 15 years in IBM UK, converting from IT to the space sector in 2018. She is currently VP Commercial Management at AAC Clyde Space. Sue has a BEng (Hons) in Product Design Engineering, an MSc in Information Technology and a PGCert in Space Science.

Prof. Helen Coleman

Trustee

I am Lead of the Cancer Epidemiology Research Group at the Centre for Public Health at Queen’s University Belfast. I am Deputy Director of the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry.

I have expertise in molecular epidemiology (incuding molecular pathology epidemiology) studies, statistical analysis of population-based disease registers and real world evidence, and systematic reviews of lifestyle factors and biomarkers in cancer risk and progression.

Mike Graham

Vice chair

Mike is the Chairman of the NHS Tribunal and is a part-time lecturer and tutor in Ethics, Professional Responsibility and Awareness and Legal Skills to Graduate Diploma Students and trainee solicitors at the University of Glasgow.

He is the former Director of Business Law at MacRoberts Solicitors, one of the top six legal firms in Scotland and a former member of Court Glasgow Caledonian University.

Mike is Vice-Chair of Ochre and was one of the organisation’s founding members.

Alan Lapsley

Chair

Allan had a career as a Chartered Surveyor of nearly 40 years before retiring in 2017.

He becomes a 20-year survivor of Oesophageal Cancer this year. An incredible achievement thanks to early diagnosis and the intervention of radical surgery and chemotherapy. He is thought to be Scotland’s longest surviving oesophageal cancer patient having been diagnosed in 2005.

Joined Ochre as a Director in October 2007 and elected Chair in February 2009.