Mark Cross Bone Cancer Fund

The Mark Cross Bone Cancer Fund is a UK registered charity (no 229771), administered by the University College London Hospital’s Charities’ trustees. This fund was set up by Jill Cross in November 2003 after the death of her husband, Mark Cross, from osteosarcoma, a primary bone cancer. Mark died aged 42 in Bexley, Kent, at the beginning of September 2003, nearly two years after he received this diagnosis.

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Aims

Primary bone cancer is a very rare, but highly aggressive, cancer, which can spread to other parts of the body relatively quickly. Treatments include some of the harshest versions of chemotherapy and sometimes amputation. It tends to occur mainly in older children and teenagers, although older people occasionally get it. Males are more likely to be affected than females. Primary bone cancer in the elderly is even rarer, usually associated with a few other, rare, bone lesions.

Given its rarity, the aim of the MCBCF is to fund research that specifically investigates primary bone cancers, including osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma etc., to learn more about how these tumours behave before and after chemotherapy, find better treatments and ultimately provide more positive prognoses. The fund currently contributes to the salary of a researcher assisting on relevant clincal trials at University College Hospital, London.

Fund-raising

The Mark Cross Bone Cancer Fund holds many fund-raising events in the southeast London/north west Kent area. However this is by no means a local charity: people are welcome to organise fund-raising events for the fight against bone cancer wherever they live or work. So far (April 2007) many good people have raised over £60,000.