Topic description and stories

We are are helping to end death and disease caused by cancer, saving more lives by detecting early and personalising treatments. The experiences of patients and their families shape every stage of research and of plans for the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital, as we work together to change the story of cancer.

Professor Jean Abraham speaking to a patient

Cambridge is changing the story of cancer

15 July 2024

Find out about groundbreaking cancer research at Cambridge, including our planned new hospital, how we're studying the earliest stages of cancer, how AI is helping fight the disease, and the patients playing a key role in our work.

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Cytosponge

‘Pill on a string’ could help spot early signs of cancer of the gullet

20 Jul 2015

A ‘pill on a string’ developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge could help doctors detect oesophageal cancer – cancer of the gullet – at...

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Resting soldiers

Too exhausted to fight – and to do harm

29 Jun 2015

An ‘exhausted’ army of immune cells may not be able to fight off infection, but if its soldiers fight too hard they risk damaging the very body they...

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Cambridge to strengthen early detection with new Cancer Research UK Major Centre

26 Jun 2015

The University of Cambridge has received an additional £5 million over two years from Cancer Research UK for the launch of a ‘Major Centre’, focused...

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'Skin cancer selfies' (cropped)

Cancer-associated DNA changes exist in a quarter of normal skin cells

21 May 2015

Normal skin contains an unexpectedly high number of cancer-associated mutations, according to a study published in Science . The findings illuminate...

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Killer T-Cell

Body’s ‘serial killers’ captured on film destroying cancer cells

19 May 2015

A dramatic video has captured the behaviour of cytotoxic T cells – the body’s ‘serial killers’ – as they hunt down and eliminate cancer cells before...

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Mouse

Fighting cancer: Animal research at Cambridge

24 Apr 2015

A new film from the University of Cambridge looks at how mice are helping the fight against cancer and the facilities in which they are housed, and...

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Color-enhancement show magnetic resonance image (MRI) of individual breast

Genetic screening could improve breast cancer prevention

09 Apr 2015

A test for a wide range of genetic risk factors could improve doctors’ ability to work out which women are at increased risk of developing breast...

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Professor Richard Gilbertson

Childhood brain tumour expert to lead Cambridge Cancer Centre

26 Mar 2015

One of the world’s leading childhood brain tumour experts, Professor Richard Gilbertson, has been appointed as Li Ka Shing Chair of Oncology in...

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Breast implant

Should breast implants come with a health warning?

18 Mar 2015

Newspaper reports suggest that France may be considering health warnings – or even an outright ban – on breast implants, following a cancer scare...

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Breast Cancer Public Art

Fifteen new breast cancer genetic risk ‘hot-spots’ revealed

09 Mar 2015

Scientists have discovered 15 previously unknown genetic ‘hot-spots’ that can increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, according to...

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An abdominal tumour (outlined in white) 'feeding on' carbon-13-labelled glucose (orange) provides a means of testing when cancer drugs are effective enough to affect the health of the tumour

Watching the death throes of tumours

25 Feb 2015

A clinical trial due to begin later this year will see scientists observing close up, in real time – and in patients – how tumours respond to new...

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Red blood cells (illustration)

Order matters: sequence of genetic mutations determines how cancer behaves

11 Feb 2015

The order in which genetic mutations are acquired determines how an individual cancer behaves, according to research from the University of Cambridge...

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