Cancer Research UK has developed treatments that have helped save thousands of lives. We are the European leader in the development of novel anti-cancer treatments.

Our scientists are busy identifying good molecular targets for new treatments. We then turn these laboratory discoveries into benefits for cancer patients – from bench to bedside. The aim is to develop treatments that exclusively target cancer cells, and so have fewer side-effects than existing therapies.

Once a potential cancer drug or treatment has been developed, it must be tested in patients to check it is safe, effective and better than existing treatments. This is called a clinical trial.

Highlights in this area:

• Our researchers in Newcastle are improving the treatment of children and young adults with a type of brain cancer called medulloblastoma. They have found that giving patients a combination of drugs alongside radiotherapy significantly increases the chances of successful treatment and reduces the risk of recurrence.



• Cancer Research UK is co-funding a new Institute for Radiation Biology Research that is being built in Oxford. Around 40 percent of all cancer patients receive radiotherapy as part of their treatment. Scientists at the institute will focus on making this important treatment more precise and effective.