Your latest CRUK early diagnosis updates

Dear Supporter,

Welcome to your first Cancer Research UK Early Diagnosis newsletter of the year. We hope you had a good break over the holiday season.
We're excited to be starting off 2024 with preparations for the return of the face-to-face Cancer Research UK's Early Diagnosis Conference.
The conference theme of 'Driving Evidence into Practice' is more relevant than ever this year ahead of the general election, and we will be working closely with others in the community to continue to progress action across a range of activities that support the reduction of late stage cancer diagnoses.
Please keep reading for key updates and information on CRUK's plan for longer, better lives, the Cancer in the UK Report, changes to the bowel cancer screening programme in England and much more! Make sure you get in touch if you'd like to feature your own early diagnosis activity in a future newsletter.
Don't forget to follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter) for more regular updates.
Best wishes,
Sam Harrison and the Strategic Evidence team
Cancer Research UK

CRUK's Early Diagnosis Conference 2024 - Registration open now!

We are thrilled to be running Cancer Research UK’s Early Diagnosis conference on 4-5 June this year at The Eastside Rooms, Birmingham. This will be our sixth Early Diagnosis Conference, but also our first face-to-face conference since 2019, so we’re very much looking forward to seeing you all there. The conference will showcase the latest early diagnosis evidence within the theme ‘Driving Evidence into Practice’ and will host an exciting programme of speakers, interactive sessions, and workshops.
We are also welcoming abstracts for oral and poster sessions, and case studies for workshops across a range of themes covering the cancer diagnostic pathway. Abstract deadline: Wednesday 20 March.
Visit our webpage to find out more about the conference, register your place, and submit an abstract.

Applications open for Early Career Researcher bursaries at Cancer Research UK's Early Diagnosis Conference

If you are an early career researcher, we encourage you to submit an abstract via our ECR bursary scheme. Applicants awarded a bursary will be required to submit an abstract and deliver a short presentation at one of the workshops during the conference. This is an exciting and unique opportunity to present your work to the cancer community. To apply, complete the application form on our webpage and send to edconference@cancer.org.uk by Wednesday 20 March.

Our plan for longer, better lives

Ahead of the next general election, CRUK have published ‘Longer, Better Lives: A manifesto for Cancer Research and Care. The manifesto includes the insights of cancer patients and experts across health, life sciences, government, and academic sectors.
The theme of early diagnosis features throughout the manifesto, including a call on the UK Government to reduce inequalities in early diagnosis, and implement measures to reduce late-stage diagnosis in England. You can also listen to the first episode of ‘That Cancer Conversation’ podcast manifesto series, where each episode will uncover the missions behind the manifesto.

Cancer in the UK report

Cancer Research UK have published the annual Cancer in the UK Report. This report summarises key metrics and data across the cancer pathway, including prevention, earlier diagnosis and treatment, as illustrated below.
The report also dives into screening programmes in the UK, and reiterates the importance of tackling barriers to participation, and improving uptake. Additionally, it provides a breakdown of participation rates in breast, bowel, lung and cervical screening.

Health inequalities: Improving early cancer diagnosis for everyone

Have you read the latest article from our Strategic Evidence team here at CRUK on health inequalities in cancer diagnosis? This article delves into how reducing emergency presentations and eliminating inequalities in routes to diagnosis could help improve patient outcomes.

Oesophageal Cancer Insights Guide

February is Oesophageal Cancer Awareness Month. This means it’s the perfect time to refresh your knowledge of oesophageal cancer by reading our brand-new Oesophageal Cancer Insights Guide for health professionals in England and Wales.
This helpful guide covers signs and symptoms, risk factors such as Barrett’s oesophagus, as well as referral and safety netting tips to ensure more patients are diagnosed earlier.

Changes to the bowel cancer screening programme in England

The NHS in England is currently in the process of expanding bowel cancer screening to people aged 54, who will then be invited to take part every 2 years. This is part of NHS England’s plan to gradually extend the programme to people aged 50-59. When diagnosed at an earlier stage (1 and 2), survival is much higher than when the disease is diagnosed at a late stage (3 and 4). Click below to read more on our updated bowel cancer screening webpage.

Innovation open call for cancer

The NHS Cancer Programme is opening a third round of Innovation Open Call, launching in April 2024. The Open Call for Cancer is a NHS Cancer Programme run in conjunction with The Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) and aims to identify the most promising innovations in earlier diagnosis and accelerate them into front-line settings. Anyone with a developed idea or innovation is invited to apply. Applications open on 8 April and close on 29 May. Click below for further details on eligibility criteria and the assessment process.

Bridging the Gap event

We will continue to have a focus this year on how we can help support the adoption and translation of cancer innovation into policy and practice. As part of building our offer we're going to be attending more events in this space, such as the Bridging The Gap event next month in Cambridge. This event will bring together stakeholders across innovators, the NHS, researchers, policy makers and more, providing a space for knowledge exchange and collaboration. We will be presenting an overview on CRUK's work in the innovation space, and will have a stand, so do pop by if you're attending.