November 28, 2008
They’re everywhere – the words “economic downturn”, “current financial climate”, or even the dreaded “recession”. It’s impossible to ignore the news, especially as a charity dependent on public donations. But set against this backdrop, the need for our work is greater than ever.
Around 289,000 people are diagnosed with cancer each year in the UK – that’s one every two minutes – and rates are increasing. The good news is that the death rate from cancer is falling year on year, but more than 150,000 people still lose their lives to the disease every year.
Today we’re announcing our research strategy for the next five years, and it’s a great opportunity to focus on the areas where we can make a really big impact and save lives. You can read the full strategy document on our website, but here’s a potted version.
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Cancer in the news | 
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Posted by Kat Arney
November 27, 2008
Professor Mike Richards
We’ve blogged a bit already about last Friday’s National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative (NAEDI) conference. The Initiative aims to coordinate and support a vast amount of work to ensure that more cancers are diagnosed at an earlier stage when they can be treated more effectively.
These sentiments were echoed most clearly by Professor Mike Richards, the UK Government’s “cancer tsar”, who finished the conference with an inspiring talk entitled “The Size of the Prize”. In it, Richards clearly spelled out just how much the gathered delegates could hope to accomplish by working together.
He began by reiterating that Britain’s cancer survival rates trail behind much of Europe. If we matched the best of the Continent, we could have saved about 11,000 lives every year between 1995 and 1999, and about 8,000-10,000 lives per year between 2005 and 2009.
“That’s what we’ve got to shoot for”, he proclaimed. “Forget the average – that’s not good enough. We’ve got to aim for the being the best in Europe, as a relatively wealthy country with a national health service.”
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Early detection, NAEDI conference, Statistics | 
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Posted by Ed Yong
November 25, 2008
Professor Coleman speaks at the launch of NAEDI
Last Friday, several hundred delegates from a wide range of backgrounds – including research charities, Primary Care trusts, GPs, and the Cancer Networks – descended on Mary Ward House in London for the launch of the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative, or “NAEDI”.
NAEDI is a joint initiative, being led by Cancer Research UK and the Department of Health, to coordinate and provide support to activities that promote the earlier diagnosis of cancer.
So the launch was a fantastic chance for people interested or active in the field to come together and find out more about the Initiative and share best practice.
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Cancer Prevention, Early detection, Health & Lifestyle, NAEDI conference, Statistics | 
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Posted by Henry Scowcroft
November 21, 2008
Nearly 7,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year in the UK, but long-term survival for this disease has changed relatively little over recent decades. This is mostly due to the fact that the disease is often detected once it is advanced and has spread, making treatment more difficult – hence the nickname “the silent killer”.
If a woman is diagnosed with ovarian cancer at an early stage, she has more than a 7 out of 10 (70 per cent) chance of surviving. But this drops to 15 per cent if she’s diagnosed when the cancer is advanced.
Spotting ovarian cancer earlier would save thousands of lives, but it’s not that simple. The symptoms are vague, and often dismissed by women and GPs as the kind of annoying but accepted “women’s problems” that are commonly linked to ageing, the menopause, or previous pregnancies.
So what can we do to change the picture?
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3 Comments | Cancer Research UK-funded research, Ovarian, Scientific papers, Screening | Permalink
Posted by Kat Arney
November 18, 2008
We get asked a lot of questions. From “what actually causes cancer?” or “does cancer run in the family?” to “how much broccoli should I eat?”, many people want to understand more about this disease and how we’re working to beat it.
So we’d like to answer some of your burning questions about cancer and cancer research. Please leave them in the comments below, or email them to scienceblog@cancer.org.uk
We’ll pick the best, and over the coming months our scientists, along with our team of science and health information specialists and nurses, will answer a selection of them here on the blog.
Kat
1 Comment | Cancer Prevention, Cancer Research UK-funded research, Cancer Treatment, Cancer Type, Risks & Causes, Science, Statistics, Your questions | Permalink
Posted by Kat Arney
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