• Cancer Research UK
• Great Ormond Street Hospital

• Sport4Life Smoothie Bike
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• Cancer Research UK Table Top Sale at Kings Sutton Primary School - 29/02/08
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• Cancer Research UK Scientists Use Virus to Wipe Out Cancer Cells
• Cancer Research Jumble Sale in Kings Sutton
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• Visit the Donation4Charity.org Charity Blog

Cancer Research UK provide the funds and training for tomorrow’s generation of new cancer specialists as well as providing support to the scientists and doctors who are presently working to treat and cure this disease.

• >> A donation of just £2 a month funds research to help save lives.
• >> Cancer Research UK spent £257 million on scientific research last year - your donation can help to fund this research

Cancer Research UK can confidently state that they are the world’s leading organisation dedicated to cancer research and have been responsible for some of the most novel and innovative treatments to date. Presently they are supporting cancer research in over thirty five towns across the United Kingdom and actually employ their own scientists as well as providing support to grant funded researchers currently working in hospitals and universities across the UK. In the financial year 2006-2007 their total spend on scientific research was an impressive two hundred and fifty seven million pounds which is testament to their importance as a route to finding a permanent cure and effective treatment for cancer.

As well as the funding they provide for direct research they also fulfill an educational role which aims to give support and understanding to both cancer sufferers, friends and family and those that are indirectly affected by this disease. The main objective is to improve the lives of all cancer patients with a view to enabling swift and accurate diagnosis, effective treatment and support. Each cancer patient is faced with a number of choices regarding both treatment and in their everyday lifestyle. CRUK aim to give people as much information and support as possible in order to help them to make the right choices, both for them and also for their families.

We support their work wholeheartedly and would ask our community to support them also by making an online donation as just two pounds a month as a direct debit donation will help them to continue the good work and increase our understanding of this disease and the most effective ways to treat and prevent it.

>> Help Cancer Research UK with a donation of just £2 per month

About Cancer Research UK

Cancer Research UK is probably the most well known cancer charity and widely recognisable as a leader in its field. Although it seems like they have been around forever, the charity in its present guise was formed relatively recently and have actually only existed since 2002 when the Imperial Cancer Research Fund merged with The Cancer Research Campaign. They are a completely independent organisation solely dedicated to researching all aspects of cancer via a pool of over 3000 expert scientists, doctors, nurses and health care professionals.

Cancer Research - Factors that Influence Cancer

Evidence gathered by Cancer Research UK suggests that around half of all cases of cancer diagnosed in the UK could be avoided if people made certain changes to their lifestyle :

• Bodyweight - it is estimated that if no one exceeded a body mass index (BMI) of 25 up to 12,000 cases of cancer (more than 4% of recorded cases) could be avoided. >> Click here to work out your BMI.
• Diet - it is generally agreed that diet is an important factor when determining an individuals risk of getting cancer although currently there are no exact details as to what constituents of an individuals diet are protective against cancer.
• Hormones - is is estimated that hormone levels could be responsible for up to 15% of female cancers in the UK
  
• Infections - while cancer is not infectious there are a number of infections that can increase cancer risk. It is estimated that as many as one in ten cancer cases in the UK are caused by infectious diseases.
• Occupation - most occupations that are known to have influences on cancer are either banned or well regulated within the UK. Those people who are diagnosed with occupation related cancer are a result of being exposed more than 10 years ago.
• Physical activity - it is reported that those with with higher levels of physical activity have a reduced risk of colon and probably breast cancer that is independent of bodyweight.
• Sunlight - it is widely reported that over exposure to ultraviolet radiation (including sunlight and light from sun beds etc) is the most important risk for both malignant melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. Importantly this is modifiable by using sun cream.
• Tobacco - research indicates that the greatest factor in avoiding cancer is not smoking tobacco. Tobacco causes is responsible for the deaths of 6 million people in the last 50 years - that equates to more than 1 in 4 cancer deaths.