A free public lecture, dispelling the myths surrounding cancer and offering lifestyle advice on how to reduce the chances of acquiring the disease, has been held at the University of Greenwich at Medway.

Expert and author Dr Lauren Pecorino, who is a Principal Lecturer at the university teaching cancer biology, gave the talk on the disease – which affects one in three people – to an audience of more than 100 people.

The lecture, which is the first in a series of free public lectures to be held by the School of Science, looked at the definition of cancer and its causes as well as how people can make important lifestyle changes.

Dr Pecorino, who has published books on the disease, said her inspiration for the event came from a chance comment.

She says: “The idea to give a public lecture on cancer came from reading some feedback regarding my textbook that I wrote for University students. A reader, who was a member of the public, wanted to know more about the science of his disease – he had metastatic prostate cancer.

“I was amazed because I had written the book for advanced university students who had two to three years of a foundation in Biosciences and yet his critique was detailed and showed evidence that he grappled with the foreign terms of molecular biology.

“From this experience, I decided I wanted to communicate some of the exciting science of cancer research to the public and to discuss lifestyle changes that can help decrease our risk of cancer, which include diet and exercise.”

Dr Pecorino is a Principal Lecturer in the School of Science at the University of Greenwich where cutting-edge research in disease treatments and drug delivery take place. She recently gave the opening talk at an International Conference on Biotechnology in Egypt and also hosted a book signing at the National Cancer Research Institute Conference in Birmingham.

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