Harrogate cancer charity funds bold new study to aid cancer prevention
Harrogate cancer charity funds new approach to prevention
People in Yorkshire with an inherited risk of cancer will help shape a bold new approach to cancer prevention, thanks to funding from Harrogate-based cancer charity Yorkshire Cancer Research.
The charity has awarded £346,531 to a pioneering first-of-its-kind study exploring whether people with an inherited genetic risk of cancer would consider taking drugs called PARP inhibitors as a way of reducing their risk of developing cancer.
The PARP Inhibitors for Cancer Risk Reduction in Carriers (PARCC) study, led by Dr Stephanie Archer from the University of Cambridge, will involve more than 1,300 people from Yorkshire taking part in research to explore whether PARP inhibitors – already used to treat cancer - could become a new option for reducing cancer risk in those who carry particular inherited genetic variants.
A spokesperson for Yorkshire Cancer Research said: "Around 176,000 adults in England – including nearly 17,000 in Yorkshire - are estimated to carry inherited changes in genes called BRCA1, BRCA2 and PALB2, which increase the likelihood of developing cancers including breast, ovarian, prostate and pancreatic cancer.
"Everyone has BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which help repair damaged DNA and prevent cells from growing or dividing in an uncontrolled way.
"Some people carry variants in these genes that can affect how well this repair process works. These variants can often be passed down through families.
"When this repair process does not work as effectively, damaged cells can grow and multiply, and over time they may develop into cancer. "
For people living with an inherited genetic risk of cancer, options for reducing that risk can be limited and involve major surgery or hormone-blocking medicines, which may not be suitable for everyone.
For those at higher genetic risk of pancreatic or prostate cancer, there are even fewer options available to reduce that risk.
Instead, surveillance and monitoring are often recommended to support early detection, alongside lifestyle-measures such as avoiding alcohol and stopping smoking.
The PARCC study aims to understand how people with these inherited variants feel about taking PARP inhibitors as a new option to help reduce cancer risk and what benefits, risks and practical considerations would matter most to them when considering this type of treatment.
The findings will be crucial in determining whether a clinical trial testing PARP inhibitors as a cancer prevention treatment could be developed in the future.
PARP inhibitors are already widely used to treat cancers linked to BRCA genetic changes and can improve survival and quality of life for people with cancer.
The first PARP inhibitor, Lynparza, was developed with funding from Yorkshire Cancer Research and has since helped treat more than 140,000 people with cancer worldwide.
Researchers now want to understand whether PARP inhibitors could also have a role in preventing cancer from developing in the first place.
The potential role of PARP inhibitors to help prevent cancer has been informed by findings from the OlympiA trial, which suggested the drugs may reduce the risk of developing a new, separate cancer in people with breast cancer who carry a BRCA gene variant.
These findings have led researchers to explore whether PARP inhibitors could one day help prevent cancer in people at higher genetic risk.
Before clinical trials exploring this approach can begin, researchers need to answer several important questions. Early laboratory research is needed to understand how PARP inhibitors work in healthy people and what doses might be suitable for prevention.
Researchers also need to understand whether people would be willing to take a PARP inhibitor to reduce their cancer risk, and what factors would influence that decision. Over the next two years, 5,500 people from across the UK, including a quarter from Yorkshire, will help answer those vital questions.
Drawing on their experiences of living with an inherited risk of cancer, they will help researchers and cancer experts understand what benefits they would want to see from PARP inhibitors, which side effects they would consider acceptable, and what information they would need before deciding whether to take part in future prevention trials.
Combined with laboratory research, their insights will lay the foundations for future clinical trials to test whether PARP inhibitors could one day be used safely and effectively to help prevent cancer.
Dr Stephanie Archer, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge and lead investigator for the PARCC study, said: “People who carry inherited gene changes often face complex decisions about how to manage their cancer risk throughout their lives.
"PARP inhibitors have already shown enormous benefits in treating cancers linked to these genetic changes, but we do not yet know whether they could have a role in prevention.
"This study will help us understand what matters most to people with inherited cancer risk, what benefits and risks they would consider acceptable, and what information they would need to make informed decisions about taking part in future research. Those insights will be crucial for designing any future prevention trials."
Yorkshire Cancer Research is funding the PARCC study as part of its commitment to exploring bold new research in cancer prevention.
In September 2025, the charity and six other cancer charities called for urgent research into the promising approach of using PARP inhibitors as a future option for reducing cancer risk in people at high risk of hereditary cancer.
The charities also called for more investment in prevention research, which remains underfunded.
In 2025, data from the National Institute for Health and Care Research showed just £22 million is currently being spent on cancer prevention compared to £195 million on cancer research as a whole.
The PARCC study aims to help address regional health inequalities by targeting areas, including Yorkshire, which have been historically unrepresented in cancer research.
Yorkshire Cancer Research says addressing this gap is essential if the UK is to realise the ambitions set out in the Government’s National Cancer Plan, which aims to shift the NHS from a system that treats sickness to one that actively prevents it.
Yorkshire Cancer Research is funding £75m of pioneering research and innovative cancer services to help prevent, detect and treat cancer more effectively in Yorkshire. Thanks to supporters, the charity has been funding research and saving lives since 1925 – in Yorkshire and beyond.
Dr Stuart Griffiths, Director of Research, Policy and Impact at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said: “The charity is driving an exciting next step in cancer prevention research, thanks to advances in the understanding of genetics, cancer risk and personalised medicine.
"The PARCC study represents important progress and supports Yorkshire Cancer Research’s commitment to fund bold, innovative research that challenges how we think about cancer and puts people in Yorkshire at the heart of future discoveries.
“Yorkshire played a pivotal role in the development of the first PARP inhibitor, which has since transformed the lives of thousands of people around the world.
"Now, with significant involvement from people in Yorkshire living with an inherited risk of cancer, Yorkshire is once again helping lead the way.
"By reaching large numbers of people from Yorkshire, a region historically underrepresented in research, the PARCC study will help ensure future prevention trials are shaped by a broader range of experiences and perspectives.
"This will help researchers ensure that any future clinical trial can better reflect the needs of everyone, no matter who they are and where they live.”
Find out more about pioneering cancer research in Yorkshire here: www.yorkshirecancerresearch.org.uk/research-story/parcc-parp-inhibitors-for-cancer-risk-reduction-in-carriers