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Screening research

Image of doctor performing endoscopy for bowel cancerCancer screening saves lives. Thousands of women are alive today thanks to NHS breast and cervical cancer screening. And the new bowel cancer screening programme has the potential to save thousands more men and women.

Cancer Research UK funding has been instrumental in the development and evaluation of the current national screening programmes for breast and cervical cancers. And we're currently funding the evaluation of the new bowel screening programme.

We are also continuing to support UK researchers in their efforts to improve screening methods, and to develop new ones.

Our Screening Matters campaign to get more people into cancer screening was developed with the help of many of our cancer screening researchers.

Below are some of the highlights of our screening research portfolio.

Bladder cancer

Prof Gareth Williams Prof Gareth Williams

Cancer Research UK Chromosomal Replication Research Group

Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London

Understanding how cells divide, and improving cancer treatment and detection

Based at the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research in London, Professor Gareth Williams and his team are investigating how a group of proteins work together to allow DNA to be copied, a process called DNA replication. His research could also help to find new ways to diagnose cancers such as prostate and bladder cancer.

Bowel cancer

Prof Jack Cuzick Prof Jack Cuzick

Cancer Research UK Centre for Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics

Wolfson Institute, Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, London

Cancer prevention and screening

Professor Jack Cuzick runs the internationally renowned Centre for Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics at the Wolfson Institute in London. The department carries out a huge range of research on many different cancer types, and is concerned with cancer prevention and screening, especially for breast, cervical and bowel cancers.

Prof Peter Sasieni Prof Peter Sasieni

Biostatistics and Cancer Epidemiology Group

Wolfson Institute, Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, London

Improving cancer screening

Professor Peter Sasieni is a respected researcher in the field of cancer screening. Based at the Wolfson Institute in London, he is helping to ensure that existing NHS cervical screening programme runs as efficiently as possible. He is also working to improve bowel screening for people at high risk of the disease. And he is director of a new clinical trials unit specialising in cancer screening and prevention.

Breast cancer

Prof Jack Cuzick Prof Jack Cuzick

Cancer Research UK Centre for Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics

Wolfson Institute, Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, London

Cancer prevention and screening

Professor Jack Cuzick runs the internationally renowned Centre for Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics at the Wolfson Institute in London. The department carries out a huge range of research on many different cancer types, and is concerned with cancer prevention and screening, especially for breast, cervical and bowel cancers.

Dr Ros Eeles Dr Ros Eeles

Section of Cancer Genetics

The Institute of Cancer Research, London

Studying prostate and breast cancer genes

Dr Ros Eeles at the Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton is studying prostate and breast cancer genetics. She is also involved in helping to evaluate the NHS breast screening programme, ensuring that the service continues to improve. 

Prof Amanda Ramirez Prof Amanda Ramirez

Cancer Research UK London Psychosocial Group

St. Thomas' Hospital, London

Psychological and social aspects of cancer care

Professor Amanda Ramirez directs the Cancer Research UK London Psychosocial Group based at St Thomas' Hospital. Her research focuses on improving the mental wellbeing of both cancer patients and health professionals that provide cancer care. Her group is also carrying out a project to promote early detection of breast cancer to improve survival rates amongst older women with this disease.

Cervical cancer

Prof Jack Cuzick Prof Jack Cuzick

Cancer Research UK Centre for Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics

Wolfson Institute, Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, London

Cancer prevention and screening

Professor Jack Cuzick runs the internationally renowned Centre for Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics at the Wolfson Institute in London. The department carries out a huge range of research on many different cancer types, and is concerned with cancer prevention and screening, especially for breast, cervical and bowel cancers.

Prof Julian Peto Prof Julian Peto

Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology Unit

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London

Epidemiology, genes and cancer

Professor Julian Peto is the Chair of Epidemiology at The Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton, Surrey. His group conducts large population-based studies and genetic research into several cancers, including breast cancer, cervical cancer and mesothelioma.

Prof Peter Sasieni Prof Peter Sasieni

Biostatistics and Cancer Epidemiology Group

Wolfson Institute, Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, London

Improving cancer screening

Professor Peter Sasieni is a respected researcher in the field of cancer screening. Based at the Wolfson Institute in London, he is helping to ensure that existing NHS cervical screening programme runs as efficiently as possible. He is also working to improve bowel screening for people at high risk of the disease. And he is director of a new clinical trials unit specialising in cancer screening and prevention.

Dr Anne Szarewski Dr Anne Szarewski

Cancer Research UK Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics Unit

Wolfson Institute for Preventive Medicine, Barts & The London School of Medicine & Dentistry, London

Cervical cancer screening and prevention

Dr Anne Szarewski is a Clinical Consultant at Cancer Research UK's Centre for Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine. She is a leading expert in cervical cancer and is carrying out important studies looking at new screening methods for this disease. She is also interested in how the new cervical cancer vaccines may be used to prevent even more cases of cervical cancer.

Ovarian cancer

Prof Ian Jacobs Prof Ian Jacobs

Department of Gynaecological Oncology

University College London, London

Screening for ovarian cancer

Professor Ian Jacobs and his team are testing ovarian cancer screening techniques to see which are most effective.

Prof Peter Sasieni Prof Peter Sasieni

Biostatistics and Cancer Epidemiology Group

Wolfson Institute, Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, London

Improving cancer screening

Professor Peter Sasieni is a respected researcher in the field of cancer screening. Based at the Wolfson Institute in London, he is helping to ensure that existing NHS cervical screening programme runs as efficiently as possible. He is also working to improve bowel screening for people at high risk of the disease. And he is director of a new clinical trials unit specialising in cancer screening and prevention.

Prostate cancer

Prof Freddie Hamdy Prof Freddie Hamdy

Nuffield Department of Surgery

University of Oxford, Oxford

Investigating prostate cancer treatment and screening

Professor Freddie Hamdy is the Nuffield Professor of Surgery and Professor of Urology at the University of Oxford. He is currently Principal Investigator of a clinical trial to see if prostate cancer screening using the PSA test could decrease the number of deaths from this disease.

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.

Prof Gareth Williams Prof Gareth Williams

Cancer Research UK Chromosomal Replication Research Group

Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London

Understanding how cells divide, and improving cancer treatment and detection

Based at the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research in London, Professor Gareth Williams and his team are investigating how a group of proteins work together to allow DNA to be copied, a process called DNA replication. His research could also help to find new ways to diagnose cancers such as prostate and bladder cancer.