Press Releases

Macmillan Cancer Support is giving people affected by cancer a chance to describe what they want cancer care services to look like in ten year's time. The charity has commissioned a major UK-wide research project that will help shape the future of cancer care services and is calling on the public to feed in their thoughts and ideas.

This year more than 270,000 people will be diagnosed with cancer - by 2016 it is estimated this figure will rise to more than 330,000 people each year.¹ Macmillan wants to ensure that cancer care can meet all the needs of the growing cancer population in the future.

Jim Elliott, Head of Research at Macmillan Cancer Support, says, "Macmillan wants to find out what people affected by cancer want cancer services to be like in the long-term. This is the first time a forward-thinking research project on cancer care has consulted the views of people affected by cancer and we believe it is vitally important to have their input. The vision of this project will allow Macmillan, policy makers and the government to lay the foundations for the future of cancer care services."

The 'Future of Cancer Care' research project will be coordinated by Opinion Leader Research and will concentrate on the insights and experiences of those who have had cancer, or have cared for those with cancer, to develop a uniquely creative and innovative view of what cancer care could look like in the future.  

To enable the public to contribute their thoughts and ideas to the research, Macmillan has set up an interactive Idea's Tree which can be found at www.macmillan.org.uk ; and a series of regional workshops are taking place around the UK. Results of the research will be published in Autumn 2007.