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Chemotherapy research

Cancer Research UK is committed to increasing the survival rates for all types of cancer. One way we are working to achieve this is by improving chemotherapy and hormone therapy.

Many of our researchers are carrying out large-scale clinical trials investigating ways to enhance current chemotherapy techniques. For example, studies are underway to find the optimal ‘cocktails’ of drugs to treat different cancers. And our scientists are looking at ways to combine existing chemotherapy and radiotherapy with promising new drugs to ultimately improve patient survival and quality of life.

If you'd like to find out more about new drugs being developed by Cancer Research UK-funded scientists, you can visit our Drug Development page.

Below are some of the highlights of our research into chemotherapy and hormone therapy.

All cancer types

Prof Kevin Brindle Prof Kevin Brindle

Molecular Imaging Group

Cambridge Research Institute, Cambridge

Magnetic resonance imaging - a tool to monitor the success of cancer treatments

Professor Kevin Brindle based at our Cambridge Research Institute is a leading expert in the field of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). He is at the forefront of developing this technology so that it can be used to monitor how well cancer patients are responding to treatment. This has the potential to revolutionise the way researchers test new cancer drugs in clinical trials. It may also help doctors to establish which treatment works best for each individual patient.

 

Bowel cancer

Prof Matt Seymour Prof Matt Seymour

School of Medicine

University of Leeds, Leeds

Testing new treatments for bowel cancer

Matt Seymour is Professor of Gastrointestinal Cancer Medicine at the University of Leeds. His team carry out clinical trials testing new treatments for bowel cancer and cancers of other parts of the digestive system including the stomach and pancreas. Professor Seymour is especially interested in developing treatments with fewer side effects to give patients the best possible quality of life. He is also working to develop tests to select the best treatments for individual patients.

 

Breast cancer

Dr Jason Carroll Dr Jason Carroll

Nuclear Receptor Transcription Laboratory

Cambridge Research Institute, Cambridge

Breast cancer: the yin and yang of oestrogen and tamoxifen

Dr Jason Carroll based at our Cambridge Research Institute is exploring the role of the oestrogen receptor (ER) in breast cancer development and treatment. In particular, he is studying how the hormone oestrogen fuels the growth of breast cancer cells by binding to the ER. And his work is focusing on how tamoxifen, a commonly used breast cancer drug, works by blocking the ER. This pioneering work is providing important insights into how some breast cancers become resistant to treatment.

Prof Charles Coombes Prof Charles Coombes

Department of Oncology

Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, London

Improving treatment for breast cancer

Professor Charles Coombes is director of the Department of Oncology and heads the Section of Cancer Cell Biology at Hammersmith Hospital. He is working on new treatments for breast cancer.

 

Lung cancer

Prof Michael Seckl Prof Michael Seckl

Department of Medical Oncology

Hammersmith and Charing Cross Hospitals, London

Understanding and improving drug resistance in lung cancer patients

World-class scientist Professor Michael Seckl works at the Hammersmith and Charing Cross Hospitals and he is leading a clinical trial called LungStar, for people with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). He is also investigating how some lung cancers become resistant to chemotherapy. Professor Seckl co-ordinates lab studies into the disease and uses his findings to improve treatments for patients. 

 

Lymphoma

Dr Simon Rule Dr Simon Rule

Derriford Hospital

Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Plymouth

Investigating new treatments for lymphoma

Dr Simon Rule is researching new treatments for lymphoma, a cancer of the white blood cells. His team are carrying out a clinical trial looking at treatments for a rare but aggressive form of the disease called mantle cell lymphoma.

 

Non-small cell lung cancer

Dr Siow-Ming Lee Dr Siow-Ming Lee

Department of Oncology

University College London Hospitals, London

Testing treatments for lung cancer

Dr Siow-Ming Lee and his team are testing new treatments for lung cancer. Currently, more than 33,000 people die from lung cancer every year in the UK and better treatments are urgently needed. Dr Lee is currently recruiting patients for two clinical trials called TOPICAL and TACTIC.

 

Oesophageal cancer

Dr Tom Crosby Dr Tom Crosby

Velindre Cancer Centre

Velindre NHS Trust, Cardiff

Testing a new way to treat oesophageal cancer

Dr Tom Crosby is a consultant clinical oncologist at the Velindre Hospital in Cardiff. He is running a clinical trial called SCOPE 1, testing a new way of treating oesophageal cancer (cancer of the foodpipe).

 

Prostate cancer

Prof Nick James Prof Nick James

Cancer Research UK Institute for Cancer Studies

The University of Birmingham, Birmingham

Improving prostate cancer treatment

Professor Nick James is Professor of Clinical Oncology at the University of Birmingham and also Consultant in Clinical Oncology at the city's Queen Elizabeth Hospital. He is carrying out an important 8-year long trial looking at the use of hormone treatment for prostate cancer.

Prof David Neal Prof David Neal

Oncology Department, Addenbrooke's Hospital

University of Cambridge, Cambridge

Better screening and treatment for prostate cancer

Professor David Neal is a leading expert on prostate cancer. He and his colleagues in Cambridge are taking a number of different approaches in their work to beat this disease. A particular focus for the team is identifying better ways of distinguishing aggressive cancers from non-aggressive cancers in order to target treatment to the right group of men. Professor Neal is also investigating the genes involved in prostate and bladder cancer.

 

Small cell lung cancer

Dr Siow-Ming Lee Dr Siow-Ming Lee

Department of Oncology

University College London Hospitals, London

Testing treatments for lung cancer

Dr Siow-Ming Lee and his team are testing new treatments for lung cancer. Currently, more than 33,000 people die from lung cancer every year in the UK and better treatments are urgently needed. Dr Lee is currently recruiting patients for two clinical trials called TOPICAL and TACTIC.

 

Testicular cancer

Dr Robert Huddart Dr Robert Huddart

Section of Radiotherapy

The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton

Comparing chemotherapy combinations for germ cell cancers

Dr Robert Huddart at The Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton is leading a clinical trial looking at germ cell cancers in men. Germ cells in men go on to develop into sperm. Most germ cell cancers in men happen in the testicles but they can occur elsewhere in the body.