Prevention research

World-class research

Cancer Research UK scientists are helping to uncover why some people get cancer and others don’t. Learning more about the causes of cancer helps us give advice on cancer prevention and early detection to the public.

All our health promotion campaigns are based on strong scientific evidence. We also commission research to find the best ways to communicate our health messages to the public.

Uncovering the causes of cancer

The causes of cancer are wide and varied so researching cancer prevention is an extremely complex process. Our scientists are looking at both things we can do something about, like smoking, and things that are less easy to control, like our environment.

Our areas of expertise

Cancer Research UK’s particular areas of expertise include:

• Tobacco - Cancer Research UK funded scientists have been responsible for discoveries about the links between tobacco and cancer, why smoking is addictive and the marketing tactics of tobacco companies. We also run a national anti-tobacco campaign for the UK Health Departments.
• Bodyweight - Cancer Research UK has contributed to the growing evidence that diet and bodyweight are the key risk factors for cancer in non-smokers. For example, we are funding a huge international study on diet and support research into the causes of obesity.
• Screening - Cancer Research UK scientists were key in helping to set up NHS breast and cervical screening programmes. We are currently helping introduce bowel screening into the UK and are investigating the potential benefits of prostate and ovarian cancer screening.

We also fund research into how genes, hormones, infections and many other factors can lead to cancer.

Find out more

Our new Reduce the Risk brochure gives an overview of our prevention research. Download the brochure by clicking on the link below.

• Reduce the Risk brochure

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You can also read more about different research methods, our current research projects and our past achievements in the cancer and research section.