The Institute of Cancer Research

Researchers have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that helps melanoma cells spread through the body and evade some of the most effective cancer treatments available. The findings, published in The EMBO Journal, reveal that a protein called nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR) has a central role in both tumour invasion and resistance to immunotherapy. In the longer term, this breakthrough could lead to much-needed new approaches to combat advanced disease.

Researchers have developed a new statistical approach that could help improve how early-stage cancer trials identify the safest and most effective doses of advanced therapies, such as CAR-T therapy. The method, called DOSET (Dose Optimization with Simultaneous Efficacy and Toxicity), was developed through a collaboration between King’s College Hospital, King’s College London and The Institute of Cancer Research, London.

Researchers have developed a new approach to help determine the optimal dose of cancer drugs, aiming to make early-stage clinical trials more transparent and better aligned with patient needs. Led by The Institute of Cancer Research, London, the study introduces a statistical method called WIN-DOSE, which is designed to support clearer and more structured decision-making when selecting optimal doses to take forward in drug development.

The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust have announced a new licensing agreement with MedTech company Mint Medical, a Snke Company, to improve monitoring for patients with bone disease in advanced prostate cancer and multiple myeloma. Following a long-running collaboration, an AI algorithm created by researchers and clinicians at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and The Royal Marsden has been integrated into Mint Medical’s mint Lesion software.

Thousands of men with prostate cancer in England will be offered a more precise form of radiotherapy that cuts treatment time by up to 75 per cent, based on the results of a trial led by The Institute of Cancer Research, London and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

A targeted cancer treatment given via a simple injection under the skin shrank tumours in more than one third of patients with recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck cancer whose disease has stopped responding to standard treatments.

A new, targeted cancer therapy for advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) has shown promising early results, with 61 per cent of patients who received velzatinib as first-line treatment experiencing tumour shrinkage of 30 per cent or over. The results could pave the way for a larger trial to evaluate this therapy as a first-line alternative to imatinib, which has been the standard treatment for more than two decades.

Results from the international Phase III RAMPART trial were presented today at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting by researchers from The Institute of Cancer Research, London and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. The RAMPART trial was designed to assess whether immunotherapy can prevent recurrence of disease in patients with early-stage kidney cancer who have undergone surgery.

From 29 May to 2 June 2026, the world’s leading oncologists and researchers – including scientists from The Institute of Cancer Research, London – will gather in Chicago and online for the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, one of the most important events in the global cancer research calendar.

From 29 May to 2 June, the world’s leading oncologists and researchers, including scientists from The Institute of Cancer Research, London, will converge at the  2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting – a premier event in the global cancer research calendar. Read some of the highlights of studies presented this year involving researchers from the ICR and our partners at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.