News and features

Cutting edge proton beam therapy is no better than intensity-modulated radiotherapy for treating people with head and neck cancer, according to new findings from a nationwide clinical trial.

Scientists have discovered a key protein that could be targeted with a drug to treat the most common and aggressive form of pancreatic cancer.

The Institute of Cancer Research and Enamine Ltd. have announced a new research collaboration aimed at broadening the tools available for researchers working in fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD).

Scientists have developed a new test that can decode when someone’s cancer first started growing and how fast it is growing, potentially allowing doctors to accurately predict when a patient will need treatment.

The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust have teamed up with Sir Chris Hoy and PureGym to launch a collaboration to encourage men with prostate cancer to be more active.

Researchers have discovered a tiny chemical switch inside our cells that helps control whether they keep dividing or stop for good – a finding that could influence future cancer therapies and deepen our understanding of ageing.

Seven images were shortlisted for this year’s annual Science and Medical Image competition, showcasing the eye-catching science being carried out at the ICR. Three winners were selected by a judging panel and the fourth was chosen by the public based on votes on social media.

Two studies have uncovered how combining a cancer-killing reovirus with targeted cancer drugs can dramatically boost immune responses and tumour destruction – offering a promising route to more effective, personalised cancer therapies.

At The Institute of Cancer Research, London, our ability to visualise the intricate inner workings of cancer is going from strength to strength. Robbie Lockyer spoke with scientists using cutting-edge imaging techniques to uncover how these tools are helping us understand cancer in unprecedented detail.

Dame Stella Rimington, who served as Chair of the Board of Trustees at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, from 1997 to 2005, died on 3 August 2025.

Whole-body MRI scans provide powerful insights into treatment effectiveness and long-term outcomes for patients with myeloma, an incurable but treatable blood cancer.  Results from the iTIMM study led by The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research, London have shown that whole-body MRI scans (WB-MRI) can detect tiny traces of the disease, known as minimal residual disease (MRD), in the bone marrow after treatment. This can provide a crucial insight into how well patients with multiple myeloma are responding to treatment and whether they might relapse - offering a potential new standard in how this complex blood cancer is assessed. 

A collaborative study reveals an unexpected way cancer spreads through the body – by shedding tiny, previously unidentified fragments called shearosomes as tumour cells squeeze through narrow blood vessels. Shearosomes appear to actively influence their surroundings, supporting the growth of secondary tumours, offering new insights into how cancer spreads.