Cancer Research UK (CRUK)

Last year, 74,000 people in England were not treated on time for cancer - more than enough people to fill West Ham’s stadium on a match day. Today, our volunteer campaigns ambassadors, staff, Dame Deborah James’s father Alistair and our CEO Michelle Mitchell OBE, gathered at the London Stadium to highlight the urgent need for change and the support we've had for our open letter to the Health Secretary The Rt. Hon. Wes Streeting MP. Despite the tireless efforts of NHS staff, our healthcare system is under immense pressure. Resources and equipment are not keeping pace with increasing demand, as cancer cases continue to rise. The UK Government has the power to change this. A fully funded National Cancer Plan for England that prioritises earlier diagnosis, reduces waiting times and ensures everyone has access to world-class treatment can be a real #TurningPointForCancer. We later headed across London to the Department of Health and Social Care in Westminster to hand in the letter, signed by 35,000 supporters and people impacted by cancer. The route is clear - now the UK Government must respond with bold action to transform cancer care.

What does Lego have to do with improving cancer survival? Back in the 1990s, people in Denmark and the UK had similar poorer cancer survival outcomes than people in comparable countries. That reality has since changed and many more people are surviving longer, but Denmark has raced ahead leaving the UK trailing behind. According to Jesper Fisker, chief executive of the Danish Cancer Society, Denmark's success has come together like Lego, with each interlocking component supporting the others. And, if there's an instruction manual, it's in the country's consistent cancer plans. With the UK Government currently drawing up it's own National Cancer Plan for England, we've analysed Denmark's success to see what lessons it could take to help more people survive cancer. Read more in our deep dive below 👇

“I fully support Cancer Research UK’s manifesto for cancer research and care in Wales – it reflects exactly what we need: more staff, earlier diagnosis and space to innovate.” Dr Hasan Haboubi, a consultant gastroenterologist in Cardiff, has witnessed remarkable medical advancements since graduating in 2006. But he knows that more needs to improve to tackle the mounting pressure on cancer services in Wales. “It is no secret that the NHS has incredibly long waiting lists, in part, because we don’t have enough doctors and nurses to meet demand. By improving staff recruitment and retention, morale could be so much higher,” said Dr Haboubi. As a passionate supporter of innovation as a tool to find a solution to the cancer crisis, he also points to developments such as capsule sponge tests, a ‘pill on a thread’ developed with funding from us to detect oesophageal cancer earlier. Simple procedures like this can lead to faster diagnosis, allowing specialists like Dr Haboubi to intervene sooner and improve patient outcomes. “We must embed innovation, future-proof the NHS workforce and create a health system where people are motivated to stay” he shared. “Crucially, this must be steered by a long-term cancer strategy – so we can plan ahead, improve outcomes for patients and ultimately save lives.” With next year’s Senedd elections comes a vital opportunity to transform the NHS with the creation of a long-term cancer strategy which addresses long waiting times, as well as driving innovative reforms and investing in staff and equipment. If the next Welsh government takes urgent action on cancer, around 5,500 lives could be saved over the next 15 years. You can read our manifesto for Wales here 👉 http://cruk.ink/4pDsAr1

Scientists at Imperial College London are working on a small patch that could help to detect skin cancer by absorbing fluid from the skin🔬 Currently, skin cancer is usually diagnosed with a biopsy, but skin biopsies can be invasive, expensive and painful, and most people who get them don't actually have skin cancer. With our funding, Dr Sylvain Ladame and his team designed their skin patch to pick up signs of cancer from the fluid around cells, rather than the cells themselves. That means it could quickly and painlessly identify which skin changes are harmless and which need extra tests. Our article explains how it works and what's ahead. Click through to find out everything you need to know 👇 #SkinCancer #CancerResearch #Technology

A recent survey we conducted shows more than half of young people regularly see unhealthy food and drink content online, often promoted by influencers. Overweight and obesity is the second biggest cause of cancer in the UK after smoking and rates among young people are rising. Planned restrictions on junk food advertising online are therefore a vital step to protect young people’s health. These measures must be properly enforced and we're urging the UK government and regulators to take bold action to shield young people from the kind of harmful marketing that could increase their risk of obesity and cancer in the future. Read more about our survey of 4,000 children and young people in the UK 👇

Could your cells help track down and treat a child’s cancer? One of our research teams has proved it’s possible. They’ve developed a new type of immunotherapy that equips donated immune cells with special sensors for finding acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, the most common subtype of cancer in children and young people. Their new treatment should be much more accessible than the current option, CAR T-cell therapy, which involves modifying young patients’ own immune cells. Early tests show the new approach could also be more effective, but we still need to find out more. The next step is to see how much it can help young leukaemia patients in clinical trials. “It very rarely happens that you deliver exactly what you hoped to achieve at the end of a four-year project,” said Professor Tassos Karadimitris, who helped develop the new treatment. “The fact that this worked so much better than current treatment options makes it very exciting.” We funded the work with Children with Cancer UK. You can find all the details in our article 👇

Cancer is the leading cause of death in Scotland and Wales. But next year’s Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd elections can be the turning point for cancer we need if politicians commit to drive forward change and make cancer a priority. We’ve analysed what needs to change to improve cancer survival and transform cancer research and care in Scotland and Wales. And, using what we’ve found, we’ve written key recommendations in our manifestos for longer, better lives for each nation. Our key ambition is to reduce cancer death rates in Scotland and Wales by 15% by 2040 and, if the recommendations in the manifestos are implemented: - Around 10,100 lives could be saved in Scotland - Around 5,500 lives could be saved in Wales But this can only be achieved if the next elected governments place cancer at the top of their agendas, with clear plans to support research, tackle waiting times, invest in NHS staff and equipment, and prioritise reform. You can read more about what we’re calling for in Scotland and Wales in our article below 👇 #LongerBetterLivesScotland #LongerBetterLivesWales

Can the blood’s natural clean-up system help us detect cancer earlier? 🩸 Seven years ago, we gave Professor Beth Psaila funding to find out. Now, she's uncovered a potentially transformative insight. Psaila's team have found that platelets, best known for their role in clotting, also act as biological scavengers. They move through the bloodstream sucking up fragments of DNA, including those released by cancer cells. It's a discovery that could make liquid biopsies even more sensitive and effective for early detection. With a modest adjustment to how blood samples are processed, we may be able to harness platelets to detect cancer at its earliest stages, when treatment is most likely to succeed. “Platelets are acting as sentinels in the blood,” explains Professor Psaila. “They have a unique ability to hoover up things they encounter.” This research opens new avenues for innovation in early cancer detection and exemplifies how fundamental science can lead to life-saving clinical applications. Find out more in the article below 👇 #CancerResearch #EarlyDetection #BiomedicalInnovation #TranslationalScience #HealthTech #MedicalResearch

Today, our volunteer campaigns ambassadors were at Holyrood and the Senedd to launch our manifestos for change ahead of the Scottish and Welsh elections next year. Cancer is the leading cause of death in Scotland and Wales, and we're calling on all political parties to make cancer a priority. Both manifestos outline the priorities and changes we believe will transform cancer diagnosis, treatment and care in Scotland and Wales, ensuring #LongerBetterLives for everyone affected by cancer. And, to help us make cancer a political priority, we’re calling on residents of Scotland and Wales to join us in calling on all political parties to act 👉 http://cruk.ink/3IDZaIz #LongerBetterLivesScotland #LongerBetterLivesWales

Could a simple tear test help detect brain tumours earlier? At The University of Manchester, Professor Petra Hamerlik is leading ground-breaking research – funded through our Stand Up To Cancer campaign – to explore whether tear fluid could offer a new, non-invasive way to detect brain tumours. She’s been working on this concept for over a decade, and her early results are promising. Using a standard method for tear collection and their optimised test, her team could detect brain tumours with high accuracy in a pilot study. Now, with our support, the team are running a large NHS-approved study across Europe to validate this approach. This research could help GPs diagnose brain tumours sooner and offer hope to patients when it matters most. Read more below ⬇️