Excluding certain skin cancers, there were more than 270,000 new cases of the disease in 2001 – and the rate is increasing by about 1% a year.

Some cancer, such as breast, are becoming more common, while new cases of lung cancer fall away due to the drop in the number of smokers.

However, while the overall number of new cancers is not falling, the good news is that successful treatment rates for many of the most common types are improving rapidly.

BBC News Online has produced, in conjunction with Cancer Research UK, a guide to some of the most common forms of cancer and the treatments used to tackle them.

For more in-depth details on the following types of cancer click here – article by The BBC

The vaccine targets breast cancer caused by an excess of a protein called HER2 – and even destroyed tumours resistant to current drugs.

The US team said it might also be used to prevent initial development of the tumours in cancer-free women.

But UK experts warned the vaccine was at a very early stage, and it was not known if it would work in humans.

“This is very early research that has only been carried out in mice so we don’t actually know if it could be used in women.” Dr Sarah Rawlings

Breakthrough Breast Cancer

The study, by Wayne State University, appears in the journal Cancer Research.

HER2 receptors promote normal cell growth, and are found in low amounts on normal breast cells.

But HER2-positive breast cells can contain many more receptors than is typical, promoting a particularly aggressive type of tumour that affects up to 30% of all breast cancer patients.

There are drugs to treat this form of the disease, including Herceptin, but they do not work for a significant proportion of patients.

The new vaccine contains genes that produce the HER2 receptor, and a compound which stimulates the immune system.

Electrical pulses

The researchers used electrical pulses to deliver the injected vaccine into leg muscles in mice.

Once there, the vaccine produced a huge quantity of HER2 receptors which triggered a reaction by the animals’ immune systems, and primed them to fight cancer.

The researchers also used an agent that, for a while, suppressed the activity of regulatory T cells, which normally keeps the immune system from over-reacting.

In the absence of regulatory T cells, the immune system responded much more strongly to the vaccine.

Then, when the researchers implanted HER2-positive breast tumours in the animals, the cancer was eradicated.

There were no sign of any side-effects.

Lead researcher Professor Wei-Zen Wei said: “The immune response against HER2-positive receptors we saw in this study is powerful.

“Both tumour cells that respond to current targeted therapies and those that are resistant to these treatments were eradicated.

“This may be an answer for women with these tumours who become resistant to the current therapies.”

The researchers have previously developed a similar vaccine which is currently in early clinical trials.

They say this time they have fine tuned the process, and hope the new vaccine will be more effective.

However, Dr Sarah Rawlings, of the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: “This is very early research that has only been carried out in mice so we don’t actually know if it could be used in women.

“Much more research is needed to find out if it works, to either treat HER2 positive breast cancer or prevent the disease, and if there are any side effects.”

Several other groups are also working on breast cancer vaccines that target HER2.

News reported by The BBC

Breast cancer survivor Amanda Whetstone says she regularly skips breakfast and lunch to save money to pay for her prescriptions.

Amanda, 45, from Chessington in Surrey, said: “Although my cancer treatment – the surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy – has finished, I still need medication.

“As a result of my cancer I’m now on three different drugs. They cost me about £44 a month. That may not sound much to some, but I’m struggling financially.

“I feel penalised because I have a disease that the government doesn’t consider should make me exempt from prescription charges” Amanda Whetstone

“I’m now on statutory sick pay because I’ve been too unwell to work. My income is £360 per month and, quite frankly, I have barely enough money to live on.

“I budget for everything. I don’t go out because I can’t afford to socialise. I can’t even invite friends over for a meal because I can’t afford the food.

“I don’t eat breakfast or lunch. The meals I do buy are ones that are on special offer.

“I can’t afford fresh fruit or meat. I know that isn’t healthy, but I simply can’t afford to buy healthy food.”

Amanda said she has also avoided going for dental and eye checks because she can’t pay the bill.

With winter approaching, she is also worried about rising fuel costs.

“I have stayed awake at night for hours crying, thinking: ‘How can I make this work?’

“Fighting cancer is hard enough without the terrible financial worry that comes with it.

“I feel penalised because I have a disease that the government doesn’t consider should make me exempt from prescription charges.”

Amanda said she had looked into the option of paying a reduced annual fee of for her prescriptions but said she could not afford to pay the lump sum of £102.50.

She was surprised to hear that the prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) scheme, which allows patients to get all the prescription items they need for less than £2 a week, is available by monthly direct debit to help spread the cost of payments.

Alternatively, people who have to pay for more than three prescription items in three months can pay three-month PPC of £27.85.

News reported by The BBC

To contact Macmillan Cancer Support click here