Our research impact across all blood cancer types

The Epidemiology and Cancer Statistics Group (ECSG) at the University of York is core-funded by us and Cancer Research UK. Much of the unit’s research takes place through the HMRN – a network of clinical teams that gather information on 24 different types of blood cancers from a population of 4 million people around Yorkshire.

They record a wealth of information throughout a patient’s journey - from initial diagnosis, through treatment, and on their long-term survival. The data HMRN collects is the gold standard source of information about blood cancers. This is helping to benchmark the UK’s survival rates against other countries, and pinpointing areas within the patient’s journey where improvements need to be made.

We launched the Trials Acceleration Programme in 2011 to deliver better treatments for people with blood cancer to the NHS faster. Advances in blood cancer research mean there are many potential treatments waiting to be tested, but there is a bottleneck when it comes to getting them into clinical trials. Twenty early-phase clinical trials were set up through the programme, on average 18 months quicker than the national average. More than 1,000 people with blood cancer have been treated with over than 150 new drugs or drug combinations, many of which have been life-changing.

Over several decades, we have supported and nurtured the careers of young scientists, clinicians and blood cancer researchers. Many recipients of our training awards have gone on to establish their own research groups in the UK or abroad. Their work has, and continues to save and improve the lives of thousands of people with blood cancer.