12 highlights from 2023

Cancer Research UK (CRUK) has made important progress this year.  It’s difficult to choose one highlight for each month of 2023 - here's just  a few:

January began with findings from the FOxTROT trial. Scientists at the University of Birmingham and University of Leeds showed that starting chemotherapy just a few weeks earlier can change outcomes for people with colon cancer – lowering the risk of cancer returning and reducing the number of side effects.

In February, we marked #WorldCancerDay with the publication of a new report looking at the state of cancer in the UK in 2023. Our modelling showed that if current trends were to continue, cancer cases would rise from 384,000 diagnosed each year, to over half a million by 2040.

In March, new research from the PEACE study that we funded revealed how some skin cancers stop responding to treatment at the end of life. The findings provided us with a better understanding of melanoma’s resistance to current treatments we hope will ultimately help us deliver new treatments to give people with advanced cancer more time with their loved ones.

In April, researchers at The Francis Crick Institute published seven papers in Nature and Nature Medicine, detailing new results from TRACERx. The research reveals the secrets of how lung cancer can evolve, spread and resist treatment.

In May, we launched our refreshed organisational values to help unite us even further in our mission to beat cancer, and we celebrated these values during the Our Heroes Awards.

In June, the Race for Life marked its 30th anniversary, and we celebrated the life of Dame Deborah James at the event in Battersea Park. It was lovely to see people coming together to celebrate her remarkable life.

In July, we announced a new study to investigate breast cancer in ethnic minority groups. This followed our research that showed women from Black Caribbean and Black African backgrounds are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage cancer than White British women – a project with direct public health relevance.

In August, we published our annual report and accounts – always an important milestone as we showcase our impact over the previous financial year and thank our supporters, volunteers, and partners for their generosity, and the crucial role they play in our work.

In September, we launched our refreshed brand – a huge piece of work that involved so many colleagues and something that we’re all very proud of.

In October, we were delighted to hear Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, announce landmark plans to raise the age of sale of tobacco in England. Smoking remains the biggest preventable cause of cancer and death in the UK – and through our #SmokefreeUK campaign, – we've been tirelessly campaigning for changes like this for many years.

In November, we launched our #CancerManifesto, which sets out the measures and commitments the next government must make to help prevent 20,000 cancer deaths every year by 2040 – another project that many of my colleagues have tirelessly worked on for the best part of the year.

Finally - December - is a big month for Cancer Grand Challenges as 12 shortlisted teams are interviewed by our Scientific Committee. I’m looking forward to the announcement of the successful teams at the CGC Summit in London in March.

Thanks to each and everyone of you who has played in 2023.