Health
Unlocking cancer breakthroughs: why now is the moment for action – Cancer Research UK
His story is a reminder that clinical trials don’t just save lives, they can improve the quality of people’s lives too. And it underlines what is at stake when research is delayed.
Unlocking breakthroughs: three urgent priorities
At Cancer Research UK we’ve identified three key barriers that are holding back progress. Now, we’re calling on MPs to take urgent action:
1. Unlock faster clinical trials
Clinical trials are the engine of progress in cancer care. They test that new treatments are effective, safe for use and can work better than current treatments. They also help us test new ways to prevent and diagnose cancer. But currently, they’re taking too long to set up.
Complex processes and limited staff, time and resources in the health system to carry out research mean that promising studies can be delayed, slowing the delivery of new treatments to patients.
The UK Government has made meaningful progress to reduce the average set up time for commercial trials, but it’s important that non-commercial trials aren’t left behind. In 2023/24, over 95% of patients recruited to UK interventional clinical studies (those trials which aim to find out more about a particular intervention or treatment) were recruited to non-commercial trials.
Streamlining set-up processes and improving workforce capacity to deliver research in the health systems across the UK will mean life-saving tests and treatments can reach patients faster.
2. Unlock global talent
The UK is home to world-class researchers, and at Cancer Research UK, we’re developing the UK’s cancer research leaders of tomorrow. For example, we support around 500 PhD students across our research portfolio to help drive the next generation of cancer breakthroughs. But a complex and costly immigration system is deterring global talent. The total costs of visas at our institutes in 2024-25 was £870,000 – money taken away from funding the development of life-saving tests and treatments for people affected by cancer.
Breakthroughs happen when the best minds come together. But action is needed to reduce visa costs and simplify immigration processes for researchers so that we can attract and retain the talent needed to drive the next generation of discoveries.
3. Unlock investment
Decades of cancer research has led to survival doubling since the 1970s in the UK, but this rate of improvement has slowed over time. Breakthroughs rely on sustained effort and investment.
Investing in cancer research also unlocks economic growth, with every £1 invested generating around £2.80 in economic benefits for the UK. Yet uncertainty around funding risks slowing momentum just as new opportunities are emerging.
Whilst it is welcome to see the government’s commitment to increasing public investment in research over this Parliament, this investment needs to be protected and sustained over the long-term across all four nations of the UK. Without this, the UK risks falling behind at the very moment when scientific opportunity is greatest. Sustaining investment in research will ensure people affected by cancer today and in the future can benefit from new breakthroughs, and it will also help to drive economic growth.
A shared mission
Cancer Research UK is already a vital part of the UK’s research ecosystem. We aim to invest more than £1 billion into research over the next three years, we support thousands of researchers and have contributed to the development of many of the world’s most important cancer drugs.
But we cannot do this alone. The message of this campaign is simple: Governments across the UK hold the key to unlocking cancer breakthroughs.
With the right action now, we can ensure that discoveries are not delayed and that more people affected by cancer benefit from the progress that science can deliver.
To see this progress, we need to see strong leadership, alongside support from our campaigners, researcher community and partnerships to drive this change.
