More than one in three of us will develop cancer at some stage in our lives. Few of us go through life without coming into contacted with the disease in some way. Cancer is a common disease. More than 5,000 people are diagnosed with cancer each week in the UK and over 145,000 people die from cancer each year.

There are over 200 different types of cancer that can occur anywhere in the body. They all have different causes, different symptoms and require different types of treatment. Cancers develop because of a complication interaction between our genes, our environment and chance. It is a highly complex disease that is still only partly understood. By undertaking research a greater understanding of the biology of the disease and its molecular causes will allow development of better treatments and prevention strategies in the future.

 

 

Cancer Research UK is the world's leading charity dedicated to research on the causes, treatment and prevention of cancer. They support the work of over 3,000 scientists, doctors and nurses across the UK. The annual scientific spend is more than £213million, raised almost entirely through public donations. Cancer research UK supports and undertakes a comprehensive programme of research in institutes hospitals universities and medical schools through out Britain and Northern Ireland.