Our research strategy: treatment
Because we can develop new treatments that cure blood cancer for good.
Through research, we will find ways to reduce side effects and make treatments kinder, develop more effective new treatments, and identify the right treatment combination for each individual.
Head to page 24 of the full strategy to read more on treatment.
The challenge
Around 15,000 people in the UK die each year from blood cancer or its treatments.
Some people with blood cancer have very few effective treatment options, and even when treatment works, the cancer can return, become resistant, or more aggressive. Some treatments have such severe side effects that people may be unable to receive them, and in some cases, side effects can be life-threatening.
To save more lives, we urgently need better, safer treatments and new drugs for those with limited options.
The opportunity ahead
In recent years, advances in blood cancer treatment have given people more time and better quality of life. We've helped drive this progress by supporting the development of new drugs, antibody treatments and universal CAR-T treatments.
New types of treatment are being developed all the time. These are are expanding treatment options, reducing the risk of the cancer coming back. Continued investment in research and clinical trials is vital to turn lab discoveries into life-saving treatments.
Project spotlight
The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects white blood cells called B-cells and can lead to several types of lymphoma, including Burkitt lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and Hodgkin lymphoma. But we still don’t fully understand how the virus causes these diseases.
Professor Michelle West from the University of Sussex is researching a less harmful way to treat blood cancers linked to the EBV.
Professor Michelle West
Our basic research into ... EBV driven blood cancer has developed into exciting work where we are now trying to create more effective treatments that target EBV blood cancer cells and leave healthy cells unscathed
- Professor Michelle West
Our research
Our £500 million investment in research since 1960 has helped transform treatments and taken us to the point where beating blood cancer is now in sight. Our researchers are working to finish the job.
More About This