Transcript for our goals launch press conference

Below is the transcript for our goals launch press conference.

Harpal Kumar – Chief Executive, Cancer Research UK

Today cancer scientists around the world agree that we're at the dawn of a new era in cancer research. It's an era that will see a huge increase in the number of new diagnostics, new screening programmes and new treatments for the disease. And, as a consequence, we believe, a rise in cancer survival.

Now, we know that beating cancer is a very ambitious aim. So, in order to measure our success over the coming years we're committing ourselves to achieving ten goals by the year 2020. We don't expect to do it alone. We don't want to do it alone. We know that we have to work with our partners: national and local government; other charities and research funders; the pharmaceutical industry and, of course, the public.

We believe the goals are very challenging but we believe that we can make them a reality.

Professor Mike Richards – National Cancer Director, Department of Health

Why do I welcome these goals? And I do, for several reasons.

Firstly, I believe that having defined goals will help us all focus on the actions we need to take to beat cancer.

The second point I would say is that I welcome the breadth of the goals. They cover prevention, early detection, treatment and care for cancer, as well of course, as research. I think again we probably all recognise that cancer will not be beaten by simply focussing on one aspect rather than another. We need to do the whole lot together.

The third point I think I'd make is that I welcome the depth of these goals. They've been carefully thought through. They're not simply straplines, but, as you'd expect from an organisation like Cancer Research UK, they are genuinely underpinned by science, and we've heard some of that but I can assure you that looking through the other goals there's been a great deal of thought in there as well.

Fourthly, they're measurable, and people constantly tell me that about government targets and things as you'll understand! But for each of these goals we do have a baseline and we know from Cancer Research UK how the progress can be assessed and I believe it is assessable.

And, I suppose, fifthly and most importantly, I think the goals are both challenging but achieveable.

I do welcome these goals from Cancer Research UK. I also believe they will be welcomed widely by a whole range of other partners who are working with us and with Cancer Research UK to beat cancer. Thank you.

Find out more about the background to the goals and how they will be measured or return to the previous page.