90% of the population live within 30 miles of a Cancer Research UK funded site.
Cancer Research UK supports the work of over 4,250 scientists, doctors and nurses throughout the UK.
We’re currently helping to fund over 100 clinical trials.
We spent nearly £6m every week on cancer research in 2006/07.
Cancer Research UK is the world's leading independent organisation dedicated to cancer research.
We carry out world-class research to improve our understanding of cancer and find out how to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease. We ensure that our findings are used to improve the lives of all cancer patients.
Our history and achievements
In the 1970s we made a major breakthrough in the treatment of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph glands. Using a four-drug treatment known as MVPP, the disease was cured for the first time.
In the 1990s we developed a new type of radiotherapy known as CHART. This is radiotherapy that is delivered in many small doses over a much shorter period of time than conventional treatments. Trials have shown that CHART improves survival of patients with the most common type of lung cancer.
In 2004 our scientists played a leading role in showing that a gene, called E2F3, could help doctors identify how aggressive a man's prostate cancer is. This may allow doctors to diagnose the disease more accurately in the future and tailor treatment appropriately.
Amazing progress is being made, and this would not be possible without cancer research:
- the incidence rate for cervical cancer has decreased by 30 per cent over the last 10 years
- death rates for lung cancer in men have fallen by more than a quarter in the last decade
- death rates for bowel cancer have dropped by nearly a fifth in the past 10 years
- over 80 per cent of people with malignant melanoma now survive, compared with around 55 per cent in the early 1970s
Other ways you can support us
There are many other ways you can support our research into cancer, from making a regular donation to taking part in one of our fundraising events. There are also many more ways your company can support us.
Visit our Support Us website to find out more - with your help we will beat cancer.