Cancer Research UK exists to beat cancer.

That starts, of course, with our research. Over the last century, we’ve made discoveries that have saved countless lives and continue to benefit millions of people around the world. In the UK today, more than 8 in 10 people treated with cancer drugs on the NHS receive a drug developed by or with us.

But research doesn’t improve cancer outcomes on its own. Discovering that smoking causes cancer didn’t stop cancers caused by smoking, and developing advanced treatments doesn’t automatically mean that people will benefit from them. It takes something extra to turn scientific evidence into human impact.

That’s where our policy, campaigning and information come in.

Our new ‘Turning evidence into impact’ report is a tribute to the importance of this work. Here we’re highlighting six of the achievements we’re most proud of.

1. Turning discoveries about HPV into vaccination programmes that prevent cancer

There’s no better way to show how we link research to impact than by looking at our work on the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.

Starting in the early 1990s, Cancer Research UK scientists played a vital role in showing that a vaccine could protect against HPV. A few years later, another of our teams demonstrated that nearly all cervical cancers are caused by the virus. Together, these findings showed that the right combination of vaccination and screening could effectively eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem. 

That’s what we’re working towards. Our influence has helped make sure that all children in the UK aged 11 to 13 are now offered the HPV vaccine. And, globally, we’re partnering with organisations in countries such as India, Eswatini and Nepal to help it reach some of the world’s most at-risk communities. 

The research is continuing, too. In 2021, one of our teams showed that the HPV vaccine has the potential to prevent up to 90% of all cervical cancer cases in the UK. Now we’re working to help all eligible people access the vaccine, so inequalities don’t get in the way of that goal.

2. Clearing the way for a smokefree generation 

Tobacco is still the biggest cause of cancer in the UK, but the smoke is beginning to clear. Through decades of campaigning, we’ve driven historic advances towards a smokefree future. 

Most recently, at the end of April 2026, Parliament passed the Tobacco and Vapes Act, starting the process of phasing out the legal sale of tobacco in the UK. The law will prevent more than 13 million children and teenagers alive today ever legally being sold cigarettes in the UK in their lifetime. And they’re just the first generation set to benefit. 

To find out more about how the law will work, why it’s so important, and what it can achieve, check out the latest episode of That Cancer Conversation.

3. Helping the NHS spot cancer sooner 

Over the past decade, we’ve helped make bowel cancer screening more convenient and effective, and now more people are taking part. 

That’s a vital shift. After lung cancer, bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK. Spotting more bowel cancers earlier through screening is a powerful way to help more people survive. 

Our evidence helped show the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) that the faecal immunochemical test (FIT), which looks for tiny bits of blood in people’s poo, can detect more early-stage bowel cancers than the previous test. Crucially, it also works with one sample rather than three.

The UK NSC recommended screening with FITs in 2016. Now the test is available across the country, nearly 7 in 10 eligible people are participating in bowel screening, compared to fewer than 6 in 10 before FIT was introduced.   

And the screening programme is now available for more people, too. Our influence has helped lower the age of eligibility, as well as the threshold for follow-up tests after a FIT. 

4. Bringing the best tools to the UK 

Our research into radiotherapy started all the way back in 1903. We’ve been working to make sure that everyone in the UK who needs it has access to world-class radiotherapy for almost as long. 

One of the more recent examples is proton beam therapy, which offers higher precision and reduced side effects and is particularly suitable for complex cancers in children and young people. For many years, the UK didn’t have high-power proton beam therapy machines of its own, so the NHS had to pay for patients to go to other countries for specialist treatment.

In 2011, we rallied our supporters and gathered around 36,000 signatures to help secure a £250m investment from the UK Government to open two cutting-edge proton beam therapy units. Now, up to 1,500 cancer patients every year can access the therapy that’s best for them without having to go too far from home. The units are also giving people access to more advanced treatments through clinical trials. 

5. Making cancer a political priority 

Politics can move quickly, and it takes commitment and dedication to keep cancer in the spotlight. 

In 2023 and 2024, we campaigned tirelessly for the UK Government to commit to a new 10-year cancer strategy for England. And in October 2024, they did. Since then, we’ve been working hard to make sure the plan is ambitious and has people affected by cancer at its heart. 

The plan was published in February this year, and it includes welcome commitments to meet cancer waiting time targets, diagnose more cancers earlier and accelerate the set-up of clinical trials. But our work doesn’t stop here. Now our priority is making sure it translates into real action. You can find out more in our in-depth article on the National Cancer Plan. 

6. Answering your questions about cancer

Cancer can be overwhelming. Research papers aren’t always the best tools for making sense of it, and the internet is full of myths and misconceptions. That’s why we provide accessible, easy-to-understand and trustworthy information, wherever and whenever people need.

From our online About Cancer website, Cancer Chat forum and clinical trials database to our nurse helpline, printed resources and Cancer Awareness Roadshow, our health and patient information reaches tens of millions of people every year.

Jo’s one of them. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I had so many questions, worries and concerns that I found myself unable to take things in,” says Jo. “I, like so many people, went to the internet. In the early hours of the morning, Cancer Research UK became my friend when I needed them.

“Finding information I could trust was so important. Cancer Research UK’s About Cancer webpages became my go-to source, as I felt they respected me and understood what I was experiencing. There was no complicated jargon; it was just accessible and understandable all the way.”

Jo also used Cancer Chat to connect with other people affected by cancer. Then, when she realised how helpful that could be, she took part in one of our Talk Cancer workshops, which helped her start having supportive conversations with her colleagues at work.