Mount Vernon Hospital is pioneering a revolutionary treatment for cancer.

While American scientists may have won all the publicity for the treatment, which involves cutting off tumours' blood supplies, doctors at the Northwood hospital have made identical discoveries and expect to begin trials on humans in November, before the Americans.

Dr Dai Chaplin, who is leading the research which started six years ago, said: "This is a totally new approach to cancer treatment, which is clearly something that we needed."

The only real difference between the English and Americans is the drugs they are using.

The Mount Vernon drug, Combretastatin A4, which comes from the bark of an African willow, was trialed on mice more than year ago, and it was found that it selectively attacked blood vessels supplying tumours.

"The effects are not as toxic as conventional therapies," said Dr Chaplin.

"It is a very exciting time. We have got two of these projects going into clinical trial. It is always nice to think that there could be a cancer cure."

The Cancer Research Gray Laboratory at Mount Vernon is presently expanding to accommodate the scientists for this and other pioneering projects.

On Wednesday next week, boxing champion Prince Naseem Hamed will take part in a "breakthrough" ceremony, punching through a wall to open up the link between the shell of a new building and the existing laboratories.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000.Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.