Annual Review 2008/09 - Cancer Research UK

Introducing our five-yearstrategy 2009–2014Thanks to our work, more people are beatingcancer than ever before. Our aim is to reducethe number of deaths from cancer. Our futureplans are ambitious, but they are in line withthe challenge and the responsibility we face.In November 2008, we launched our strategy for the next fiveyears, aimed at further reducing deaths from cancer. Our visionand goals helped shape the strategy, which will guide ourdecisions, the investments we make and the work we fund.We hope it will inspire people to understand the impactwe are making and continue to fund our lifesaving work.Over the next five years, we plan to spend around£300 million each year to beat cancer. We will continueto fund world-class research to advance our understandingof cancer, improve prevention and screening, diagnose cancerearlier and develop better treatments. We will provide clear,reliable information to help people make informed decisionsthat will reduce their risk of cancer and increase the chanceof having their cancer diagnosed earlier. Our information willhelp people with cancer to understand what options areavailable to them and to make decisions about the besttreatment. We will also continue to use our influence withthe governments of the UK to help us achieve our goals.We will focus our work on the areas that will have thegreatest impact on reducing cancer deaths. We want to buildon our current strengths in basic science, drug discovery anddevelopment, population studies and clinical research. We willdo more in key areas such as prevention, early detection andimaging. We will boost research in key areas such as surgeryand radiotherapy, and into cancers where survival is still low,such as oesophageal, lung and pancreatic cancers.Although we have launched a five-year strategy, our goalsrepresent longer-term ambitions. So, as part of this plan, wewill invest to continue our progress, not only over the nextfive years, but also into the future.We believe this new strategy will take us closer to achievingour vision – together we will beat cancer.To download a PDF of our five-year strategy go towww.cancerresearchuk.org/our-strategy-2009-2014‘I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002and I’ll never forget the awful day when I wastold I had cancer. I’ve had surgery, radiotherapyand chemotherapy but thanks to the workof Cancer Research UK, a cancer diagnosisdoesn’t have to be a death sentence.I’m living proof of that.’Audrey WilliamsStreatham, London04 / Annual Review / Introducing our five-year strategy 2009–2014