Scarcely a family in Ireland has not been touched in some way by cancer. While we are all too aware of the heavy burden which this disease places on patients and their loved ones, it is important to realise that there has been great progress in recent years in the area of cancer treatment research.

The Cancer Clinical Research Trust (CCRT) and our partner, the Caroline Foundation, is dedicated to furthering the development of new treatments for cancer. Together we support research both in the lab, and at the cancer patient’s bed-side, an integrated programme of investigation. In addition to the traditional cancer treatments of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, important treatments which have cured many patients and prolonged many lives, we now have revolutionary new fields of cancer research and treatment including the use of 'targeted therapies' and 'immunotherapies'.

As the name suggests “targeted therapies”. are specifically designed to target areas that will disrupt cancer cells. With immunotherapies scientists are looking at ways of using the patients own immune system to help target cancer cells more effectively.