Progress for people affected by cancer
Small but important changes to treatments can have a big difference for patients.
Earlier this year, the charity announced that its FOxTROT trial, run by researchers in Birmingham and Leeds, has shown that people with bowel cancer have a lower chance of their cancer coming back if they begin chemotherapy before they have surgery to remove their tumour.
At least 5,000 people should benefit from the change every year in the UK, at no extra cost to the NHS. Worldwide, the researchers predict it could be used to treat hundreds of thousands more.
The charity is also laying the foundations for significant future progress and impact.
This includes agreeing new long-term funding for the Francis Crick Institute, which is home to scientists making discoveries that will transform the understanding of human health and disease, and the launch of Cancer Research Horizons in April 2022.
This new innovation engine unites all of the charity’s drug discovery, clinical development capabilities and commercialisation expertise under one umbrella, and it is hoped that this will take cutting-edge innovations from the lab bench to the bedside and bring new treatments to people with cancer faster.
Cancer Research UK also continues to deliver high quality and trusted cancer information to the public. This year, over 19 million people accessed the charity’s About Cancer website, an increase from 15.7m last year and its helpline nurses responded to over 13,000 people with questions about cancer.
The power of partnerships
To have the biggest possible impact, Cancer Research UK regularly partners with other organisations.
This year it worked together with organisations who share its commitment to beating cancer in children and young people including Little Princess Trust, Children with Cancer UK, Great Ormond Street Hospital and Blood Cancer UK.
Through these partnerships, Cancer Research UK wants to accelerate progress to ensure more children and young people can survive cancer with a good quality of life.
Flourishing through a year of uncertainty
Despite a year of economic uncertainty, Cancer Research UK has delivered a strong financial performance.
Thanks to the support of the public, volunteers, partners, staff and the research community, the charity has been able to fund world class research throughout the year to deepen its understanding of cancer and how best to prevent, treat and diagnose it, making a difference for people affected by cancer around the world.
Key figures from the Annual Report and Accounts include:
- Cancer Research UK raised a total of £719m, £51m more than the previous year. This increase is due to the continued generosity of its supporters, a strong performance from shops, a rise in the value of legacies received, and income from the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK
- The charity’s annual research activity spend was £415m compared with £388m in the previous year, an increase of 7%
- Cancer Research UK is the largest charitable funder of cancer research in the world and remains on track to spend £1.5bn on research over a five-year period of 2021/22 to 2025/26
- In 2022/23, 82p in every £1 donated was available to beat cancer
