Birmingham has an international reputation for the cancer research, with specialists leading the way in clinical trials and academic study.
Among the scientists and researchers pioneering the use of new therapies and drugs is Professor Nick James, a consultant in clinical oncology at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Specialising in urological oncology, he is currently looking at experimental treatment of prostate and bladder cancers, including gene therapy and identification of urological tumours.
After qualifying from St Bartholomew's Hospital in London in 1983, he went on to further his cancer expertise at the Hammersmith, Royal Marsden and St Mary's hospitals before jetting off to the Cancer Institute in Tokyo.
In 1994, when he moved to Birmingham, he co-founded the website cancerhelp.org.uk which was subsequently adopted by Cancer Research UK as their main information site on the internet.
But despite his achievements, and those of Birmingham University and the QE, Professor James believes more needs to be done to further enhance the city's reputation for oncology studies.
"One of the QE's unique selling points is that we've got a massive cancer treatment department, one of the biggest in the UK, but we don't put as many patients into trials as we could do.
"That's quite attractive to patients, the ability to get access to new forms of treatments when existing drug regimes are not working, to take part in trials such as those run here.
"From the trust's point of view it means extra income from the pharmaceutical industry, as well as the money it gets for treating patients."
The university's Cancer Studies Centre received one of the top scores – five stars – from the Research Assessment Executive, which decides how much Government money institutions receive to subsidise studies.
Clinical pharmaceutical trials, to test new drugs or combinations of medication, can attract up to £10,000 per patient depending on the study.
"Cancer is a major issue in society, it affects many people in many ways, so the better we can understand it and how to treat its various forms, has to be something that is supported."
