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.

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The ICR logo on the Brookes Lawley Building
ICR welcomes TfL consultation on Sutton tram extension

01/11/18

The Institute of Cancer Research, London, has welcomed the opening of a formal planning consultation on new proposals to take the tram to Sutton station as a stepping stone towards extending the tram to The London Cancer Hub site.
ICR Logo
Goodbye to one of our most inspirational teachers

23/10/18

Our students have thanked Professor Keith Jones for his support and dedication to training the next generation of cancer researchers as he retires from The Institute of Cancer Research, London.
Test Tubes
ESMO 2018: Immunotherapy effective as first-line treatment for advanced head and neck cancer

22/10/18

Immunotherapy on its own is better than aggressive chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for advanced head and neck cancer, according to surprising new data from a major phase III clinical trial.
Prostate cancer cells
ESMO 2018: Cancer trial shows treating the prostate directly with radiotherapy improves survival

22/10/18

Treating the prostate with radiotherapy alongside standard treatment led to a 11 per cent increase in survival for some men with advanced prostate cancer, according to a new study.
Breast cancer cells stained for DNA (red), NFkB (green), and a reactive oxygen species probe (blue)
Fewer but larger radiation doses cause similarly low side-effects as conventional breast cancer radiotherapy

21/10/18

Women who received radiotherapy for early-stage breast cancer in fewer, larger doses experienced similarly low rates of late-onset side-effects as those receiving conventional treatment, results from a 10-year study show.
Breast cancer cell timelapse
ESMO 2018: Major trial shows targeted drug – palbociclib – extends breast cancer survival

20/10/18

Combining a targeted drug with hormone therapy substantially extends survival for women with advanced breast cancer, a major clinical trial has found.
The Brookes Lawley Building at the ICR's Sutton site.
The ICR responds to the FDA approval of talazoparib for women with BRCA-mutant advanced breast cancer

18/10/18

The ICR strongly welcomes the news that talazoparib (trade name Talzenna) has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for patients with advanced breast cancer.
MRI brain scan
New study discovers inhibitors of protein linked to the devastating childhood brain cancer DIPG

16/10/18

Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London in collaboration with a team at the Structural Genomics Consortium in Oxford (SGC) have created a new series of compound that could form the basis for drugs that target the devastating childhood brain cancer diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG.
Metastatic breast cancer cells in pleural fluid
Having a heavier first-born child or a shorter pregnancy may increase a mother’s risk of breast cancer

15/10/18

Short first pregnancies and having a heavier first-born child may slightly increase a mother’s risk of breast cancer, a new study has found.
Running past Buckingham Palace on the Royal Parks Half Marathon
#teamICR take on the Royal Parks Half Marathon 2018

12/10/18

22 members of #teamICR will be running the Royal Parks Half Marathon this Sunday to raise money for cancer research.
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What the future holds for children with brain cancer

30/09/18

Brain cancer is a devastating disease, particularly when it affects young children, and progress in treatments has been slow. But ICR researchers have made major breakthroughs in recent months, with discoveries that could impact diagnosis, treatment and survival from childhood brain tumours.
Staff nurse playing with a young boy in hospital. He is undergoing treatment for a childhood cancer. Wellcome Images 2007, Creative Commons by-nc-nd 4.0
Experts call for genetic testing to personalise treatment for all children assessed for new cancer treatments

26/09/18

All children with cancer should have the genetic profile of their tumour comprehensively analysed when being considered for new treatments, say leading childhood cancer experts.