Professor Janet Brown has taken up the Presidency of the Cancer and Bone Society (CABS), marking a significant new chapter in Sheffield’s long-standing global leadership in cancer and bone research.
Founded to foster international collaboration across clinical and basic research within the cancer and bone field, CABS brings together researchers and clinicians committed to improving outcomes for patients with cancer induced bone disease. After serving as President-Elect since 2023, Janet, Professor and Consultant in Translational Medical Oncology in Sheffield, now steps into the Society’s top role at a pivotal time for the field.
One of her first major engagements as President will be to lead the CABS Biennial Meeting in Tampa, Florida, where she will deliver her Presidential Lecture: “Solid Tumours: What’s New in Bone Health and Emerging Trials in Bone Metastasis.”
Bone metastasis, the spread of cancer to the skeleton, affects more than half a million people worldwide. This is because most common cancers, such as breast, prostate, lung and kidney cancers, have a potential to frequently spread to the bones. The impact can be profound: severe bone pain, fractures, spinal cord compression, and the need for surgery or radiotherapy. Even without metastasis, widely used hormonal treatments for breast and prostate cancer can weaken bones and lead to osteoporosis. Through collaboration and innovation, CABS aims to change this landscape.
Janet’s Presidency also carries special resonance for Sheffield. More than 20 years ago, the Society’s first President, Rob Coleman, was also based here. Since then, Sheffield, particularly through the Mellanby Centre, has played a leading international role in advancing understanding of how bone metastases develop and in delivering major clinical trials of new treatments to prevent and manage both metastasis and cancer-treatment–related bone loss.
A central theme of Janet’s Presidency will be investing in the next generation of researchers. At the Tampa meeting, she will present awards to eleven early career researchers in both laboratory and clinical research, alongside a lifetime achievement award.