Transforming cancer patients' lives

Our pioneering drug discovery research is transforming the lives of cancer patients across the world, helping many live longer, better lives and giving them precious time with their loved ones.

These are the personal stories of our patient advocates, including many who have benefitted directly from drugs we discovered or helped to develop into the treatments used today.

Your support for our Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery will help us continue to bring hope to cancer patients and their families.

Back to appeal page Meet the key researchers Videos: our story of discovery

Sally's story

Mother of two Sally Steadman-South, from Sheffield, is living with stage 4 melanoma. For the last two years she’s been on the targeted drugs, dabrafenib – a treatment underpinned by the ICR’s science – and trametinib, and currently has no evidence of disease.

Rob's story

Rob, from Edinburgh, has been taking the prostate cancer drug abiraterone for more than six years. Abiraterone is one of the ICR’s biggest success stories, and has helped extend life for more than 400,000 men with advanced prostate cancer across the world.

Christine's story

Christine is being treated for secondary breast cancer with the innovative new drug palbociclib. The drug, which avoids many of the side-effects of traditional chemotherapy, allows her to live her life and keep cycling. The ICR and The Royal Marsden ran clinical trials of palbociclib, which is now available on the NHS.

Tina's story

Tina took pembrolizumab for melanoma with amazing results. Our researchers found that this drug can help treat people with other cancers. Her story illustrates the importance of our research to find exciting new treatments like immunotherapies, and to make them work even better, for more people.

Debbie's story

Debbie, is being treated for stage 4 malignant melanoma with dabrafenib, a drug which was underpinned by our discovery of its target - a protein called B-RAF. Within weeks of starting the targeted treatment, the lumps on her head started disappearing before her eyes. Now, the doctors can no longer detect any cancer.

Anne's story

Anne has been taking olaparib to treat her ovarian cancer since she recurred and chemotherapy stopped working for her in March 2018. She now feels better than she has in years. Olaparib has given her hope that she will live many more years chemotherapy free.

Sue's story

Sue was prescribed olaparib as part of her treatment for ovarian cancer, the development of which was underpinned by our research. After taking olaparib for seven years, it has given her a quality of life she could only dream of. Hear her moving account of her experience with ovarian cancer.