Annual supporter update 2023/24
Mei-Ling was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer after finding a lump. Her treatment was shaped using outputs from the Personalised Breast Cancer Programme (PBCP), which successfully helped to identify the best course of treatment to give her the best chance of survival.
Thank you for moving research forward
Your support has powered another year of life-saving research to beat cancer. Learn more about the progress you’ve made possible in 2023/24 and the people it’s helped.
Here’s how you’ve helped beat cancer this year
253,008 of you took part in Race for Life, raising £33.8m. That’s enough to buy 122 light sheet microscopes.
32,541 of you signed our petitions and joint letters, helping us push cancer up the political agenda.
You gave £79m in regular donations, so we can commit to long-term projects with the biggest potential to transform lives.
7,900 of you pledged a gift in your Will to help beat cancer for future generations.
We're moving forward...
with a pill to prevent breast cancer
Thanks in part to an international trial we funded, an estimated 289,000 post-menopausal women could now benefit from a drug to prevent breast cancer. The trial, called IBIS-II, found that post-menopausal women who took the drug anastrozole every day for five years halved their risk of developing breast cancer. In November 2023, anastrozole was approved as a preventative option for high-risk women in the UK.
to personalise prostate cancer treatment
A study we co-funded with Prostate Cancer Research discovered that prostate cancer isn’t just one disease. Using artificial intelligence (AI), the team revealed the disease has two different subtypes. Moving forward, they hope to develop a genetic test for people with prostate cancer to determine which subtype they have, allowing doctors to decide the best treatment plan for them.
to shrink children's tumours
Abdullah was one of 160 children and young people to take part in the BEACON-Neuroblastoma trial. Neuroblastoma is a relatively rare type of cancer that mostly affects children under five. Abdullah received a combination of chemotherapy and bevacizumab (Avastin), which is designed to shrink tumours. And that’s exactly what it did – shrinking Abdullah’s tumour and saving his life.
with the world's first vaccine to prevent lung cancer
Together with the CRIS Cancer Foundation, we’ve awarded a team of trailblazing researchers £1.7m to develop LungVax – the world’s first vaccine to prevent lung cancer. Using technology similar to the highly successful COVID-19 vaccine, LungVax teaches the body’s immune system to recognise and attack lung cancer at the earliest stage of the disease.
Campaigning for longer, better lives
In November 2023 we published ‘Longer, better lives: A manifesto for cancer research and care’.
Our manifesto formed the basis of our campaign to make the general election a turning point for cancer. To achieve this aim, over 6,000 of you emailed your local candidates asking them to back our five pledges:
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Back research
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End cancers caused by smoking
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Drive earlier diagnoses
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End the waits
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Lead on cancer
Learn more about the progress we’re making and the lives we’re changing.
Want to discover more?
Read our annual report and accounts 2023/24
Get detailed information on how we spend your money and the progress we’ve made together over the last year.
Get involved
Whether you fundraise, volunteer, or pledge a gift in your Will, join our collective effort to help beat cancer.
Help shape our work
We actively involve people affected by cancer in our work, so we can beat the disease while meeting the needs of patients and their families.
Alternative formats
We want you to experience our content in a way that works for you. Click below to read our report in an accessible PDF. To request alternative document formats of our reports, you can contact us.