People are often heard to say that they’ve been supporting cancer research forever and a day and it doesn’t seem to make any difference because more and more people seem to be diagnosed with cancer and many still die of it.

This really isn’t true.

There are a vast amount of different types of cancer which can behave differently in different age groups etc.  Treatment for one type of cancer may be totally unsuitable for another and new and better regimes of treatment are constantly being sought.  The factors affecting cancer growth, response to treatment and survival rates are numerous, but great progress is being made in the research field, increasing understanding of the disease, bringing better methods of prevention and detection, improved treatments and more saving of lives. 

Progress statistics: 
• Cancer affects one in every three people at some time in their life.
• Fifty years ago treatment for Leukaemia in children saved only 5%.  Now over 80% of these children make a full recovery.  Leukaemia is one of the cancers affecting 13-25 year-olds, for which the Laura Crane Trust will fund top quality research.
• Thirty years ago less than 10% of men survived testicular cancer (also one of the cancers affecting young people).  Now over 95% of patients are cured.
• Because of the successes achieved through cancer research, over the last 30 years, breast cancer survival has increased by over 25%, understanding of cancer has grown, treatments have improved and the survival rate has increased in 46 of the 47 commonest cancers in adults and in every single type of cancer affecting children.

Laura in hospital aged 16

Cancer in 13-25 year-olds is less common than in other age groups, but it often strikes in dangerous and complex forms. This is an area of research which is greatly under-funded.  The Laura Crane Trust is the only UK charity funding research specifically into cancer in this age group and your support is absolutely vital!