Welcome to the Oesophageal Cancer & Barrett’s Oesophagus Podcast - the voice of hope, healing, and resilience in the journey against Oesophageal cancer.
This Podcast, from the Oesophageal Cancer Fund , is designed to help people and their families affected by Oesophageal Cancer & Barrett’s Oesophagus, to better understand what it is like to navigate the journey, from diagnosis and throughout their treatment and care. It also demonstrates the work of the Oesophageal Cancer Fund in terms of patient support, raising awareness of this cancer and funding vital research.

Each of these episodes, we will bring together patients, experts and advocates, to have straightforward evidence-based conversations giving hope and encouragement to those fighting this cancer.
Early diagnosis is key, and our aim is to highlight the importance of knowing the symptoms and early detection.

The Podcast is hosted by OCF board member Sean Broderick and on this, our first episode, our very special guest is Professor Jacintha O'Sullivan - a Professor in Translational Oncology, based at the Trinity Translational Medicine Institute (TTMI), Trinity College & St. James’s Hospital, Dublin. 

Jacintha, who was recently appointed President of the Irish Association for Cancer Research, is the Director of the MSc in Translational Oncology, Education lead for the Trinity, St. James’s Cancer Institute and the Education and Outreach Coordinator in TTMI.

In this episode Professor O’Sullivan explains what oesophageal cancer is, the importance of knowing the symptoms and how early detection saves lives. Specifically Professor O’Sullivan uses this podcast to explain the condition known as Barrett’s Oesophagus which can be a key pre-indicator of potential oesophageal cancer and how the National Barrett’s Register and Biobank help ensure that patients identified as at risk undergo monitoring and surveillance. 

The Barrett’s Register, established in 2010, links six hospitals across Ireland and currently tracks the progress of 9,000 at-risk patients. From the beginning, both the Barrett’s Register and Biobank have been funded by OCF through an investment of €2.3 million to date through its annual Lollipop Day fundraising.