Our research is saving lives

Our investments in life-saving research have helped people reduce their risk of getting cancer and improved the ways we detect, diagnose and treat the disease.

The big hope of any cancer researcher is for their work to contribute to saving lives. Saving lives by helping people reduce their risk of getting cancer. Saving lives by catching cancer earlier when treatments are more likely to succeed. Saving lives by making treatments more effective and gentler. And saving lives by ensuring that everyone has equal access to high-quality care.

Thanks to our donors, Canadian Cancer Society-funded researchers are doing just that. We have a rich legacy of fueling discoveries that have improved how we prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.

Because of these advancements, 63% of Canadians diagnosed with cancer are expected to survive 5 years or more compared to 55% in the early 1990s.

But we know that there is still more work to do. With your support, we can continue to ensure that cancer research will have a transformative impact on the lives of people with cancer.

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Prevention

The research we fund has increased our understanding of what causes cancer and how to prevent it. This knowledge leads to effective strategies to help people reduce their risk so that fewer Canadians hear the words “you have cancer.”

A woman is smiling while having a conversation with her doctor.
A female scientist is writing on a test tube while sitting behind a microscope

Early detection and diagnosis

Our funded research is helping catch cancers earlier and diagnoses them more accurately, so people receive the right treatment at the earliest opportunity, boosting the likelihood of treatment success and better outcomes.

A female scientist is writing on a test tube while sitting behind a microscope
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Treatment

From practice-changing discoveries made 60 years ago to the cutting-edge treatments being developed today, CCS-funded researchers are leading the way in making cancer treatments safer and more effective.

A woman is hugging a man who is sitting in a wheelchair
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Cancer care delivery

Our investments in research on cancer care delivery have helped make it more equitable and accessible so Canadians with cancer can receive the best care possible, no matter where they live or who they are.

An older persons hand is being embraced by the hands of a younger person