Cancer Research UK is committed to beating cancer through world class research. We have set ambitious goals for ourselves – and we will work with our partners to achieve them – in order to make a significant impact on cancer in the future.

Over the coming years we will continue to invest in world-class research, which will make a difference to people with cancer, including breast cancer. Here are some examples:

• Over five years, we plan to double the number of cancer drugs being tested for the first time in patients. Through this, we hope to find better treatments for cancer, with fewer side effects.
• Cancer Research UK is currently more than 100 clinical trials, testing new and improved treatments for many types of cancer, including breast cancer.
• We are investing in radiotherapy by setting up a new radiobiology research institute in Oxford. This new centre has attracted top researchers from all over the world.
• Cancer Research UK-funded scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research are testing a new and more specific method of delivering radiotherapy to women with early breast cancer. They hope the new treatment will reduce side effects such as swelling of the arm, known as lymphoedema.
• Cancer Research UK is funding scientists across the UK to investigate the causes of breast cancer, and advance our understanding of the disease. For example, scientists at the new Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute are working hard to understand how the female sex hormone oestrogen can fuel the growth of breast cancer.
• We will continue to fund vital work into finding ways to prevent breast cancer, and detect the disease earlier. For example, our researchers are developing and testing improved methods for screening for breast cancer in women at high risk of the disease.
• Cancer Research UK is also funding significant research projects aimed at finding ways to improve the quality of life for women with breast cancer. For example, we are funding research into ways to help younger women keep their fertility after treatment for breast cancer.

Support our breast cancer research

We need your support to help more women beat breast cancer. Join a walk today or find out more about how you can raise money for All Join Together.