All about me
I’m Victoria Child and I’m a Research Fellow at Centre for Public Health Queen’s University, Belfast. I completed my undergraduate and PhD studies in Nutrition at the Coleraine campus of Ulster University on the scenic North Coast of Northern Ireland. Following my studies, my love of research and desire to ultimately improve the care experience for individuals living with chronic disease led me to pursue a career in Public Health research. Alongside my work, I enjoy spending time doing things that balance out the demands of my professional life including sewing, cake decorating, spending time with friends and family and volunteering at a variety of local community-based youth and women’s organisations.
My journey in cancer and premalignant epidemiology and surveillance started in 2014, firstly working in the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry and most recently in my role as project manager for the Northern Ireland Barrett’s oesophagus register. My current role is jointly funded by Breakthrough Cancer Research and Oesophageal Cancer Fund as part of the All-Ireland Oesophageal Cancer (AllCaN oesophageal) network. This network seeks to to bring together two unique large-scale Barrett’s oesophagus registry data across the island of Ireland, for the first time.
The Foundation of the Northern Ireland Barrett’s oesophagus Register
The Northern Ireland Barrett’s oesophagus register was established in the early 1990s by Professor Liam Murray with the help of pump priming funding from the Ulster Cancer Foundation, now known as Cancer Focus NI. Further updates and funding for the registry were supported by the UK Medical Research Council and the HSC R&D Office Northern Ireland. Its current stewardship lies with Professor Helen Coleman, thanks to funding via a Fellowship from Cancer Research UK, working with a clinical steering group comprising Professor Brian Johnston (Gastroenterology), Dr Damian McManus (Pathology) and Dr Richard Turkington (Oncology). It is one of the largest population-based registers worldwide with data on more than 28,000 individuals diagnosed with Barrett’s oesophagus in Northern Ireland since 1993.
With over £2.6 million invested across three decades, the register is not just a data repository, it’s a key resource for advancing epidemiological, clinical research and forms a sampling frame for groundbreaking biomarker studies all aimed at better understanding and managing Barrett’s oesophagus.
Key Findings from the Northern Ireland Barrett’s oesophagus Register
Several important discoveries have emerged from the Northern Ireland registry data collected, which have been instrumental in shaping our understanding of Barrett’s oesophagus:
- Rising Incidence: Between 1993 and 2005, the number of new cases of Barrett’s oesophagus in Northern Ireland increased by 150%, underscoring the need for more effective detection and surveillance strategies.
- Low Cancer Progression: Despite concerns, the progression to oesophageal adenocarcinoma in patients with Barrett’s oesophagus is surprisingly low, ranging from 0.2% to 0.4%. This offers reassurance but also highlights the need to identify the small group of patients at higher risk.
- Identifying Risk Factors: The register has highlighted key risk factors for progression to oesophageal adenocarcinoma, including tobacco smoking, ulceration within Barrett’s segments, and certain biomarkers. These insights allow doctors to focus their attention on high-risk patients for more intensive monitoring.
- Survival Benefits of Surveillance: Perhaps the most encouraging finding is that regular surveillance significantly improved survival rates for those patients with Barrett’s oesophagus who went on to get oesophageal adenocarcinoma. This reinforces the importance of early detection of Barrett’s oesophagus and ongoing check-ups for those diagnosed with Barrett’s oesophagus.
The accompanying biomarker research underway, working in conjunction with Dr Richard Turkington and collaborators, aims to further deepen our understanding by determining how long someone has had Barrett’s and pinpointing biological factors linked to cancer progression—ultimately helping doctors identify those Barrett’s patients in need of closer monitoring.
National Barrett’s register, Ireland
The National Barrett’s Oesophagus Registry, launched in Ireland in 2009 through a large programme grant from Oesophageal Cancer Fund (OCF). The hospital-based register is directed by Professor John Reynolds Upper GI Consultant, St. James’s Hospital in collaboration with Professor Jacintha O’Sullivan professor in Translational Oncology at the Trinity Translational Medicine Institute (TTMI), Trinity College Dublin and it plays a critical role in the fight against oesophageal cancer through early detection. With over €1.5 million in funding, the registry links six major hospitals in Ireland, including St. James’s, St. Vincent’s, Beaumont, and others. To date, nearly 9,000 patients have been included.
The registry helps healthcare professionals identify at-risk patients early, using endoscopies and biopsies to detect cellular changes like dysplasia or early-stage cancer. Early diagnosis means oesophageal cancer can be addressed at its most treatable stage. For patients whose condition progresses, Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) therapy is offered, a highly effective procedure that removes diseased tissue and promotes the growth of healthy tissue.
Oesophageal Cancer Fund donations also fund a National Barrett’s Biobank, which collects tissue and blood samples from consenting patients. These samples fuel crucial research, helping scientists understand the biological factors that drive cancer progression and improve patient care.
The National registry’s work continues to make a huge impact on early detection and treatment of oesophageal cancer.
The Future: Unlocking New Possibilities through All-Ireland Collaboration
The AllCaN oesophageal network which has received €1million funding from Breakthrough Cancer Research has enabled a major new research initiative on the island of Ireland to bring together data these two Barrett’s oesophagus registers: the Northern Ireland Barrett’s register and the National Barrett’s registry to build a unique resource which aims to:
- Combine diagnostic data from more than 34,000 patients to explore trends in the number of people diagnosed with Barrett’s oesophagus and dysplasia across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
- Analyse treatment data from around 1,000 patients with dysplasia or early-stage cancer, focusing on endoscopic treatments. This research will compare how treatments are administered across the two health service systems, looking at treatment timing, intervals between diagnosis and treatment, and patient outcomes.
Working together with our collaborators and Patient and Public Involvement panel members, I am excited to be driving innovations and new insights into Barrett’s oesophagus and oesophageal cancer prevention through analysis of these fantastic Irish data resources. More information on the National Barrett’s Register (Ireland) can be found here.
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