Skip to main content
Fr Donate
  1. Home
  2. Research
  3. Understanding cancer research
A female researcher wearing a lab coat and holding a tray with vials.
research

Understanding cancer research

Learn about different kinds of cancer research, including laboratory, clinical, population health, health services and precision medicine research, and how to think critically about research findings.
  1. Home
  2. Research
  3. Understanding cancer research

Cancer research is a careful, step-by-step process. Researchers across the globe study every stage of the cancer journey, from prevention and screening to diagnosis, treatment, life after cancer and end-of-life care. What we know about cancer – how to prevent it, how it develops, how to treat it, how to help people cope with it – depends on different kinds of research.

This research happens at many levels and in many settings.

A researcher using a microscope.

Basic Cancer Research

Laboratory or basic research focuses on understanding how healthy cells function and how cancer starts, grows and spreads. Findings from laboratory or basic research inform future tests and treatment.
Explore types of laboratory research
A researcher using a microscope.
A doctor talking to a cancer patient in a hospital.

Clinical Research

Clinical research takes promising treatments or tools and carefully studies them in people as part of clinical trials.
Learn how clinical research works
A doctor talking to a cancer patient in a hospital.
A family holding hands and walking together.

Population Research

Population health research aims to understand why some groups of people are healthier than others and how common characteristics affect cancer risk and long-term health.

Learn more
A family holding hands and walking together.
Doctor speaking to a mother and a child.

Health services research

Health services research focuses on the quality, accessibility and cost of healthcare so that everyone can get the care they need, no matter who they are or where they live.

Learn more
Doctor speaking to a mother and a child.
A researcher looking at a monitor.

Precision medicine research

Precision medicine research uses knowledge of genes and genetic mutations to create medicines that are more effective and cause fewer side effects. Precision medicine is also called personalized medicine. 
Learn about precision medicine
A researcher looking at a monitor.

How to evaluate cancer research

It’s an exciting time for cancer research. As researchers discover new pieces of the cancer puzzle, our collective knowledge grows. When hearing about any new research, it’s important to think critically about the study’s strengths and weaknesses.

Learn more about evaluating research