Improving access to clinical trials
Clinical trials are the single best way to turn advances in science into patient benefits. The ICR has a vision that a suitable trial should be made available for every person with cancer who wants to be part of one.
Expanding trial access – ICR report
Our 2021 report, Clinical trials in cancer, reveals the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on cancer trials and highlights longstanding barriers to expanding clinical trial access to more people with cancer. But Covid-19 also offers clues to a recovery that can get new treatments to cancer patients more quickly.
News: Cancer trial recruitment drops by 60 per cent during pandemic
The number of cancer patients entering clinical trials has plummeted during the pandemic – denying many thousands the latest treatment options and delaying drug development. Here, cancer experts set out their findings about the barriers to carrying out clinical trials in the UK and proposals for boosting participation.Latest ICR News
Scientific achievements of 2025
We've selected a range of discoveries from 2024/25 – chosen because they illustrate the quality and breadth of our basic, translational and clinical research and our ambitions under the ICR's research strategy.
New blood test matches breast cancer patients to the right treatment without a biopsy
A new type of blood test can accurately identify different types of breast cancer – meaning patients can be matched to the correct treatment without the need for a biopsy.
The ICR honoured for vital role in advancing research-driven care for children with brain tumours
The Royal Marsden Hospital, St George's Hospital and King's College Hospital with The Institute of Cancer Research, London, as the South London Paediatric Neuro-Oncology Network, has announced that it has been designated a Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence for Children.
New AI models set to revolutionise medical imaging and transform cancer care
Two ground-breaking studies have demonstrated that combining artificial intelligence (AI) with state-of-the-art MRI imaging could revolutionise how clinicians detect, monitor and treat advanced prostate cancer.