<p>On the 25th&nbsp;March 2011 our mum/wife was diagnosed with advanced oesophageal cancer,&nbsp;a cancer we knew very little about. She displayed very few symptoms and by the time she was diagnosed it was too late. Despite her extreme strength and courage, on the 25th October she lost her battle&nbsp;with cancer. We&nbsp;have decided to bring awareness to this charity in her honour to help prevent&nbsp;other&nbsp;families&nbsp;having&nbsp;to face&nbsp;the same devastation.&nbsp;<em>&nbsp;</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Upper gastrointestinal cancers are classically detected as advanced tumours and as such have a poor prognosis. A five-year survival rate of only 6% is achieved even with use of radiotherapy and surgery; as such, oesophageal cancer is now the fourth highest cancer killer in the UK and causes around 4,000 deaths each year. There is at present little dedicated research into the causes of oesophageal cancer or ways in which earlier diagnosis can be made.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Ochre is attempting to change this situation and has recently been instrumental in the purchase of a state-of-the-art LIFE-GI (light-induced-fluorescence-endoscopy) system, now in operation at Gartnavel General Hospital in Glasgow.The system, costing &pound;39,000, is capable of detecting cancerous cells at a very early stage, thereby offering vastly improved chances of survival to oesophageal cancer patients.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Thank you x x x<br class="clearfloat"></p>