Unlock Cancer Breakthroughs

Clinical trial set‑up times in the UK are too slow, held back by complex processes and a lack of staff and resources. When it takes longer to develop, test and approve new tests or treatments, it takes longer to see the impact in the health system for people affected by cancer.

What needs to happen:

The UK Government must remove the barriers slowing down commercial and non‑commercial trial set‑up by streamlining processes and increasing workforce capacity, so life‑saving tests and treatments reach patients faster.

The UK is home to world-class researchers and when the best minds around the world come together, breakthroughs happen faster. But a complex and costly immigration system is holding this back, delaying vital research that could be improving cancer outcomes.  

What needs to happen: 

The Home Office must reduce immigration costs for researchers and work with other government departments to deliver clear messaging around attracting the best researchers, so the UK is in the best position to power the next big discoveries.

Thanks to decades of cancer research, cancer survival has doubled since the 1970s in the UK. But this rate of improvement has slowed over time.² Breakthroughs in cancer research rely on decades of sustained effort and investment - when investment into research slows, so does the progress we are making.  

What needs to happen: 

Governments across the UK must commit to long-term, protected increases in research funding in all four nations, to ensure people affected by cancer, today and in the future, can benefit from cancer breakthroughs.