News and features
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Scientific achievements of 2019
We've selected a range of discoveries from 2018/19 – 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 test predicts chance of living more than a year on targeted breast cancer treatment
A new test could pick out women with advanced breast cancer who are likely to benefit from an exciting new targeted therapy for more than a year.
UK-first study to assess role of whole-genome screening in primary care
People in the UK will for the first time have their entire genetic code read from samples taken at a GP practice as part of a pioneering study to assess the potential benefits of screening for gene faults that increase the risk of disease.
Carols from Chelsea 2019: Festive season begins in style with carol service for cancer research
Familiar faces and voices from stage and screen came together on Tuesday 3 December to celebrate the start of the Christmas season at the 17th annual Carols from Chelsea service in support of The Institute of Cancer Research, London.
Olaparib becomes first gene-targeted medicine to show benefits in prostate cancer
A pioneering precision medicine already licensed for breast and ovarian cancer can also slow or stop tumour growth in some men with advanced prostate cancer, a new clinical trial shows.
Use combined chemical probe resources to select best tools for biomedical research and drug discovery, scientists urge
A new report urges biomedical researchers to use online web resources very carefully, taking into account their complementary benefits and weaknesses, when selecting small-molecule chemical probes to help answer their research questions.
ICR responds to NICE approval of palbociclib for treating advanced breast cancer after hormone therapy
The Institute of Cancer Research, London, welcomes the approval by NICE of the innovative targeted cancer treatment palbociclib for women with advanced breast cancer who have already received hormone therapy.
Prostate cancer ‘super responders’ live for two years on immunotherapy
Some men with advanced prostate cancer who have exhausted all other treatment options could live for two years or more on immunotherapy, a major clinical trial has shown.
Major trial backs immunotherapy as standard first-line treatment for head and neck cancer
Immunotherapy is better than standard ‘extreme’ chemotherapy as first-line treatment for advanced head and neck cancer and can keep some patients alive for more than three years, a major new trial reports.
Advanced bowel cancers have very few ‘molecular flags’, hindering immune recognition
Advanced bowel cancer cells have very few ‘molecular flags’ on their surface, helping to explain why they may be hard for the immune system to detect, a new study has shown.
Scientists discover change in cell logistics that helps cancer become resistant
Researchers have uncovered a potential cause of sustained resistance to hormone therapy in the most common form of breast cancer.
Men over 40 with BRCA2 gene fault ‘should get regular PSA screening’
Guidelines should change so that all men over the age of 40 with faults in the BRCA2 gene should be offered regular PSA testing to detect early signs of prostate cancer, experts are urging.
