Cancer

Today is Sharon’s 7th survivor anniversary. Thank you Sharon for your contribution of this poem to mark this meaningful day. So long agoOnly yesterday Everything changedBut was there all along Eyes openHeart openHeart ripped out Lost manyGained so much Keep goingFull of gratitude Never forgetLife Sharon Civa, MBA, is an ovarian cancer survivor and information

New research suggests that last year, cancer research investment generated over £5bn in economic benefits to the UK, with CRUK supporting over 9,000 full-time jobs. Here, we explain why it’s important we know this, and what it could mean for the future of investment in cancer research… We know that cancer research saves and improves

The Government has published an implementation plan for its 10-year clinical research vision. It provides the first chance to properly gauge whether the vision is on track to be delivered by 2031. So, is it any more than just rhetoric? Here, our policy team give us the low-down…    As a research funder and an

Welcome to our newest blog series, “Five Questions With…”  In this series, we will highlight the unsung heroes that make healthcare work. From guest services to the phlebotomist, the pet therapy volunteer, and the environmental services workers.  These individuals enhance our experiences when we are getting care and highlight human connection and support. Thank you for all

Last night, Dame Deborah James’s family announced that she passed away peacefully at home, after living with bowel cancer since 2016. Since her diagnosis, Deborah tirelessly campaigned for bowel cancer awareness as ‘Bowel Babe’. She will be greatly missed, and her legacy will continue long into the future. Michelle Mitchell, chief executive at Cancer Research

This is the third instalment of our series on health inequalities, where we explore the unfair and avoidable differences in cancer incidence and outcomes across society. Our last post looked at inequalities in smoking, and what needs to change to reduce smoking-related cancers. In this piece, we investigate diet inequality and its root causes with

Welcome to our newest blog series, “Five Questions With…”  In this series, we will highlight the unsung heroes that make healthcare work. From guest services to the phlebotomist, the pet therapy volunteer, and the environmental services workers.  These individuals enhance our experiences when we are getting care and highlight human connection and support. Thank you for all

Last week, Cancer Grand Challenges, a global funding initiative co-founded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute in the US, announced the funding of four new teams taking on the biggest challenges in cancer research today. After their announcement, we broke down two of the four challenges these new teams will be taking

When we think about cancers, and specifically treating cancers, we tend to think about targeting tumour cells directly with chemo- or radiotherapies. However, what makes targeting tumour cells even more complicated is that tumours don’t exist in isolation. They are surrounded by what’s called the tumour microenvironment. The tumour microenvironment is a kind of ecosystem

Despite big improvements in survival, cancer is still one of the world’s biggest killers. Leading Cancer Research UK-funded scientists explain why it presents such a challenge – and look at how far we’ve come  Written by  Natalie Grover for Guardian Labs  Part of a pancreatic tumour seen down a microscope, with tumour cells labelled in

Cancer Grand Challenges is a global funding initiative co-founded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in the US. Recognising the need for team science to drive us forward, Cancer Grand Challenges provides up to £20 million in funding to diverse, global research teams, giving them the freedom to come together, think

Welcome to our newest blog series, “Five Questions With…”  In this series, we will highlight the unsung heroes that make healthcare work. From guest services to the phlebotomist, the pet therapy volunteer, and the environmental services workers.  These individuals enhance our experiences when we are getting care and highlight human connection and support. Thank you for all

Ten years ago, Cancer Research UK was delighted to enter a three-year partnership with renewable energy company ScottishPower with the aim of raising £5m for our life-saving work. This was a very ambitious and exciting target as £5m can make a big difference to our research and the scientists, doctors and nurses making it happen.

It’s no secret that obesity poses a risk to health and well-being. Although diet and activity can help facilitate weight loss, some individuals turn to surgery, also known as bariatric surgery. A new study published in JAMA highlights the potential benefits of opting for bariatric surgery versus natural weight loss.1 Obesity is associated with higher cancer

Cancers begin when changes in genes called mutations cause cells to start multiplying uncontrollably. Mutations can be the result of damage to DNA caused by external agents, like UV light or chemicals in cigarettes, or caused by ‘mistakes’ when DNA is replicated in cells before they divide. Cancer cells can have large numbers of these

Nobody fully understands why people go off food in response to infection, early pregnancy and some chemotherapies for cancer. A flurry of research published in recent years has narrowed down the search for the culprit mechanism, and Cancer Research UK-funded researchers have just found another piece of the puzzle… Cachexia, sometimes described as a metabolic

Members of Girls Aloud Cheryl, Kimberley, Nadine and Nicola are working together this year to raise funds to support a poignant and specific wish that Sarah Harding expressed prior to her passing; to raise money for breast cancer research. To kick off their fundraising efforts, the girls are joining forces with us for a special

Lilly Matson  Hi, and welcome to That Cancer Conversation. The podcast from Cancer Research UK that brings together the science and the stories behind cancer with me Lilly Matson. So here at CRUK, we don’t want to shy away from the big questions. And this latest episode is definitely looking at a hard one. Why

Two new reports by the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) have found that the UK had a 17% shortfall of clinical oncologists, and a 29% shortfall of consultant radiologists, last year. The latest findings have highlighted the impact of workforce issues on the ongoing patient backlog and patient outcomes across UK nations. These reports further

Welcome to our newest blog series, “Five Questions With…”  In this series, we will highlight the unsung heroes that make healthcare work. From guest services to the phlebotomist, the pet therapy volunteer, and the environmental services workers.  These individuals enhance our experiences when we are getting care and highlight human connection and support. Thank you for all

A new independent review into tobacco control, commissioned by the Health Secretary Sajid Javid, has just been published. The review, led by Dr Javed Khan OBE, sets out a roadmap the UK Government should follow to close the health inequality gap and end smoking in England. We are urging the Government to take these measures

Welcome to our newest blog series, “Five Questions With…”  In this series, we will highlight the unsung heroes that make healthcare work. From guest services to the phlebotomist, the pet therapy volunteer, and the environmental services workers.  These individuals enhance our experiences when we are getting care and highlight human connection and support. Thank you for all

Normal squamous epithelial cells from the cervix under the microscope In January, we wrote about the changes to the cervical screening programme in Wales. This change extended the standard interval between screens for most people to 5 years. The change made headlines, with many people worried the longer interval would result in cervical cancers being

Welcome to our newest blog series, “Five Questions With…”  In this series, we will highlight the unsung heroes that make healthcare work. From guest services to the phlebotomist, the pet therapy volunteer, and the environmental services workers.  These individuals enhance our experiences when we are getting care and highlight human connection and support. Thank you for all

A new poll, carried out by YouGov for Cancer Research UK, has revealed that three quarters of the UK public think the NHS is understaffed and underequipped to tackle cancer. The Cancer Awareness Measure, which surveyed almost 2,500 people in February 2022, found that 75% of people didn’t think the NHS was sufficiently equipped to

Breast cancer cells Credit: NCI Drug resistance is one of biomedicine’s biggest threats, standing in the way of cures for all manner of viruses, infections and diseases, including cancer. But our scientists across the country are working hard to tackle it. After a shock breast cancer diagnosis in January 2021 at the age of 48,

Linking dinosaur tumours and proton beams, a major new exhibition shows the strides scientists have made as they unravel the complexities of cancer – and explores what the future holds  Written by David Cox for Guardian Labs  The Cancer Revolution: Science, innovation and hope exhibition launched in Manchester in October and opens in London in

Dame Deborah James, also known as Bowelbabe Since she was diagnosed with bowel cancer in December 2016, Dame Deborah James, also known as Bowelbabe, has shared her story with the world. A deputy headteacher prior to her diagnosis, Deborah has been detailing her cancer experience through her own blog, a column ‘Things Cancer Made Me