Making breakthroughs happen
The work we support at The Royal Marsden is revolutionising the way cancer is diagnosed and treated across the UK and around the world.
We are living in a golden age of cancer research
The use of technology, AI and big data is driving how we diagnose cancer earlier and personalise treatment so that we can save more lives.
What may have seemed impossible a decade ago has been made possible by rapid developments in technology and the support of people like you.
But we can’t stop now.
Your donations are funding life-saving cancer research
Together, we're funding life-saving cancer research that will help us diagnose cancer earlier and provide better, more personalised treatments. We fund clinicians, scientists and researchers at The Royal Marsden as well as state-of-the-art equipment and technology needed for this research.
Early diagnosis powered by AI
The earlier and more accurately we diagnose a person's cancer, the better their chance of recovery. Artificial intelligence (AI) provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to radically improve early diagnosis and treatment.
Recent studies at The Royal Marsden, funded with your donations, have developed AI models that provide clinicians with more accurate information about a person’s cancer than existing methods. Researchers hope that earlier, and more accurate, detection could help high-risk patients start treatment sooner, and spare low-risk patients from unnecessary treatments, follow-up scans and hospital visits.
The AI model used in the RADSARC-R study on diagnosing retroperitoneal sarcoma accurately graded the risk of 82% of the tumours analysed, while only 44% were correctly graded using a biopsy.
Transforming diagnosis and treatment using genomics
Using blood tests to detect cancer earlier
The TRAK-ER trial, led by The Royal Marsden, is using personalised blood tests to try and determine which breast cancer patients will relapse.
The blood tests used in the trial can detect very low levels of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) in a blood sample, helping to detect whether cancer is present in the body before a scan can – meaning clinicians will be able to diagnose the return of cancer at the very earliest stage.
The TRAK-ER trial is now taking place in over 45 centres across the UK and France.
The UK’s first robotic genomic testing lab
Alongside trials like this, The Royal Marsden, in partnership with Automata Technologies, is combining genomics with robotic and digital technology in the UK’s first robotic genomic testing lab for cancer patients. This lab will double the hospital’s genomic testing capacity, and has the potential to speed up results for patients.
Faster genomic testing means people with cancer get answers quicker and spend less time waiting in uncertainty. It also means they can start their treatment sooner, and helps ensure their treatment is tailored to their cancer's genetic profile.
State-of-the-art equipment that makes research breakthroughs possible
The research that takes place at The Royal Marsden leads to the development of new surgical techniques and improvements to existing methods that are adopted by surgeons worldwide. This progress changes the lives of cancer patients at The Royal Marsden, across the UK and around the world. Much of this research would not be possible without the state-of-the-art equipment funded by you, such as the Cyberknife – a world leading robotic radiotherapy system. The practice-changing PACE-B clinical trial, led by The Royal Marsden, used Cyberknife to deliver higher-dose sterotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) to patients with prostate cancer that had not yet spread. The trial showed that men with this cancer can be treated with 96% effectiveness in under 2 weeks. For some patients, this could mean a reduction in treatment times from 4-8 weeks with conventional radiotherapy, to 2 weeks or less.
World-leading treatment and care
Together, we’re funding the life-saving work of The Royal Marsden for people with cancer, and their families, everywhere.
Help us fund more life-saving cancer research
Since 1851, The Royal Marsden has been leading the way in earlier diagnosis and developing new treatments for cancer. Today, we continue to build on this track record with life-saving research breakthroughs. But we can't stop now.Every donation takes us a step closer to another life-saving breakthrough.
