World Cancer Research Fund is a UK cancer preventioncharity. We look at how diet, weight and physical activity affect the risk of developing and surviving cancer, and share the evidence with the public, health professionals and policymakers.
As part of an international network of charities, we’ve been funding life-saving research, influencing global health policy and informing the public since 1982.
While society continues to search for a cure, our prevention and survival work helps people to live longer, healthier lives – free from the devastating effects of cancer. In 2022, The Lancet, a major medical journal, said prevention is our best hope of reducing the global burden of cancer – a ringing endorsement of all that World Cancer Research Fund are trying to achieve.
We have invested more than £140m in cancer prevention and survival research, thanks to our amazing supporters! People like you support our work in many ways:
We’re also very grateful for support from businesses and trusts.
Around 40% of cancers in the UK could be prevented – that’s nearly 155,000 cases every year. Eating a healthy diet, being more active and staying a healthy weight are, after not smoking and avoiding the sun, the most important ways we can reduce our cancer risk.
Being a trusted source of information is priceless for the community. For researchers and health professionals, having access to the information provided in the literature reviews and the policy monitoring tools means the work conducted by World Cancer Research Fund is amplified – Prof Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics
Our achievements
Our Global Cancer Update Programme is the world’s largest database of research on cancer prevention and survival through diet, weight and physical activity. In autumn 2022, we published our review of evidence on a woman’s risk of dying after a breast cancer diagnosis.
Every year, we survey the UK public to see how awareness of what causes and what protects against cancer is changing.
When our charity was established, research into the links between diet and cancer was in its infancy. Now, scientists know that diet, weight and physical activity affect our risk of cancer, and people are increasingly aware of how environment and behaviour play a role.
Helping you
We share practical advice with the public and health professionals to help people reduce their risk of developing cancer, and to help more people survive cancer. All of our publications are reviewed by members of the public to ensure our information is understandable and relevant.
Every spring, we celebrate Cancer Prevention Action Week. This campaign, with a different focus every year, encourages everyone to become more informed about their risk of developing cancer, and to take action to reduce that risk.
We are expanding our support for people living with and beyond cancer. We provide practical tips and advice – such as our Eat well during cancer booklet, recipes and online support groups where people with cancer can come together and share their stories as well as get personalised advice from an oncology dietitian. We also share the latest research on cancer survival.
Secondly, we fund the Global Cancer Update Programme, which collates all the evidence from scientists around the world – both our researchers and others – to understand more about the global picture of cancer and how to reduce the burden of this disease.
To achieve this, we influence policymakers to develop and implement effective policies that help communities to follow our Cancer Prevention Recommendations.
We have a database of policies that governments have implemented to reduce obesity and encourage activity. This database is free to use and regularly updated. We also encourage, inform and guide the UK government by responding to consultations, so that it can make decisions that are beneficial to everyone and based on evidence.
We backed the sugary drinks levy that was introduced in the UK in 2018, and which led to the average sugar content of drinks decreasing by 29%. We also called for a watershed on junk food ads, which was announced in 2020.
We work closely with partners in Europe, through the CO-CREATE project, to reduce obesity among children and young people in a way that involves young people in the decisions being made.
Our official relations status with the World Health Organization means we can influence global policy as a respected, trusted authority on cancer prevention.
How we operate
World Cancer Research Fund is registered with the Charity Commission in England and Wales (Registration Charity No. 1000739). Around 95% of our funding comes from the UK public, with the remainder from business, trusts and foundations.
World Cancer Research Fund is registered with the Fundraising Regulator and fully adheres to the Fundraising Code of Practice, which means we’re committed to fundraising practices that are open, fair, honest and legal.
