Cancer discovery news

Our researchers are making the discoveries that defeat cancer. Read the latest findings from our world-leading research.

Visit our main news hub to read about news on new funding, our fundraising activities and much more. If you want to keep updated on our news, you can follow us on social media or sign up for our Search newsletter.

If you’re a journalist and want to find out more, you can contact our media relations team.

Person filling a syringe with Covid-19 vaccine
First Covid jab provides protection for most myeloma blood cancer patients

19/04/21

A single dose of a Covid-19 vaccine triggers an immune response in around 70 per cent of patients with myeloma – suggesting that it does provide protection against the virus.
Two female researchers, Olivia and Carolina, wearing facemasks in the lab
Cancer researchers work through night as pandemic restricts access to labs

18/04/21

The number of scientists able to access labs dropped by almost 30 per cent when the latest coronavirus lockdown was announced, according to new data released by the ICR. Some 28% are therefore resorting to working in unsociable hours to keep their research going. The ICR is calling for financial support to avert a two-year delay in cancer research advances reaching patients.
ICR student conference 2021 brochure
ICR alumni inspire the next generation at the 2021 Student Conference

16/04/21

At this year’s virtual event, our current PhD students had the opportunity to meet with ICR alumni and ask them about their careers.
ICR Logo
Advanced radiotherapy ‘must play central role’ in clearing Covid’s cancer backlog

12/04/21

Urgent investment is needed in advanced forms of radiotherapy so the high-tech treatment can play a central role in clearing the backlog in NHS cancer care that has built up during the pandemic.
Glioblastoma multiform 3D Matrix - ICR
AACR Annual Meeting 2021: Immunotherapy combination shows early promise in aggressive brain cancers

11/04/21

Immunotherapy together with an experimental cancer drug could offer a new way of treating some patients with aggressive brain cancers, promising early results from a Phase I trial presented at the 2021 AACR conference suggest.
ICR Logo
Gene mutations linked with death from infection in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

07/04/21

Death from infection – the leading cause of death for patients with a common type of leukaemia – is linked to specific gene mutations, a new study has found.
Human colon cancer cells with the cell nuclei stained red and the protein E-cadherin stained green.
AI analysis gives insight into how bacteria attack

23/03/21

A new study has helped to uncover how bacterial proteins work as a network to take control of our cells.
Female patient and nurse 547x410
Resistance-busting ICR drug enters clinical trial

19/03/21

A drug discovered at The Institute of Cancer Research that could counteract drug resistance in patients with cancers including acute myeloid leukaemia has entered a phase I clinical trial at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.
Innovation Gateway at The London Cancer Hub
Creation of new Innovation Gateway begins at The London Cancer Hub

17/03/21

Work has begun to create a new Innovation Gateway – a high-quality incubator space for life-science companies – at the heart of The London Cancer Hub in Sutton, south London.
Proton Beam Therapy 547 x 410px
First UK clinical trial in proton beam therapy

14/03/21

The first proton beam therapy clinical trial in the UK, co-led by The Institute of Cancer Research, London, is now taking place at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester.
Breast cancer cells Credit Ewa Krawczyk 547x410
Three-drug combination moves forward for advanced breast cancer

11/03/21

A combination of three drugs is safe and shows signs of effectiveness in treating some patients with previously treated advanced breast cancer, a clinical trial shows.
Stained tissue section of a bowel tumour
Targeted immunotherapy could boost radiotherapy response

08/03/21

Profiling the ‘immune landscape’ of patient’s tumours reveals who will most benefit from radiotherapy with potential immunotherapy in bowel cancer. Tumours which are chronically Inflamed before treatment could be made more susceptible using targeted immunotherapies