About Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading charity dedicated to cancer research. We carry out scientific research to help prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, and we ensure that our findings are used to improve the lives of all cancer patients.
We have discovered new ways of treating cancer that together have saved hundreds of thousands of lives across the world and we work in partnership with others to achieve the greatest impact in the global fight against cancer.
We help people to understand cancer by providing life-changing information to patients, their families and friends. We run cancer awareness campaigns to help people reduce their risk of the disease. And our campaigning and lobbying helps keep cancer at the top of the political agenda.
One in three of us will get cancer at some point in our lives. Our groundbreaking work, funded almost entirely by the general public, will ensure that millions more people survive.
Our history
Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of many of the major breakthroughs of cancer over the past 100 years. Our work on the causes, prevention, detection and treatment of cancer has saved millions of lives across the world. Thanks to advances in cancer research and improvements in cancer care. Our history and impact stretches back over a century here are just a few of our key achievements so far this decade:
Smoke Free UK: Thanks in part to the campaigning work of the charity and its supporters, smoke-free legislation was brought in across the UK in 2007, making workplaces and enclosed public spaces healthier – and more pleasant – for everyone.
New research institutes: In 2007 the new Cambridge Research Institute opened on the site of Addenbrooke's Hospital. The institute is home to almost 200 scientists working to understand the fundamental biology of cancer and convert their discoveries into new treatments. And in 2008, the Cancer Research UK MRC Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology and Biology opened in Oxford, heralding a new era of research into ways to improve radiotherapy for people with cancer.
Hormones and cancer: Our Million Women Study, started in 1997, published results showing that current or recent use of certain types of hormone replacement therapy increases a women’s risk of breast cancer, especially when taken over a prolonged time.
And a Cancer Research UK-funded study proved beyond doubt that ovarian cancers can be prevented by the long-term use of the contraceptive pill. Members of the medical community have since called for widespread over-the-counter access to the pill, which they predict, based on our research, could save the lives of tens of thousands of women.
Diet and cancer: We began helping to fund the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), the largest ever study of diet and health. Early results link a diet high in red and processed meat and low in fibre to increased bowel cancer risk.
Preventing breast cancer: Our scientists started a major new breast cancer prevention study. IBIS II is studying the effectiveness of anastrozole, a newer drug that seems to cause fewer side-effects than tamoxifen.
Improving pancreatic cancer treatment: Cancer Research UK funded the GEMCAP trial for people with advanced pancreatic cancer. This provided the first evidence that giving gemcitabine and capecitabine together was more beneficial than gemcitabine alone, providing an average of six months extra life.
Hunting cancer genes: Cancer Research UK funded scientists made a series of breakthroughs pinpointing new regions of our genome linked to breast,bowel, prostate, lung and brain cancer.These gene variations could potentially be used as genetic markers for predicting risk and in screening.
New drug for hereditary cancers: We began crucial clinical trials of a new type of drug called a ‘PARP inhibitor’, the result of more than a decade’s work by Cancer Research UK-funded scientists.Over that time their research has progressed from understanding the basic biology of the protein to developing a targeted treatment for cancer patients with inherited BRCA gene faults.
Better radiotherapy for breast cancer: Results from the Cancer Research UK-funded Standardisation of Radiotherapy trial (START) suggested that using fewer but larger doses of radiotherapy is just as effective as the standard radiotherapy treatment used for treating early breast cancer.This means breast cancer patients can now benefit from a shorter treatment schedule with fewer hospital visits as a result of this research.