Breast Cancer Virtual Institute

Breast Cancer Programme
Around 55,900 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in the UK yearly. Almost 9 in 10 people with breast cancer in England and Wales survive for at least five years; however, around 1,000 UK women still die of breast cancer every month. Our research is aiming to increase the survival rate through: Collaboration: connecting researchers with an interest in Breast Cancer across Cambridge; Personalising breast cancer treatment: understanding individual breast cancers and how they respond to different treatments; Novel Clinical trial designs: Efficient ways to test new treatments & rapid translation between clinic & lab.
The Breast Cancer Virtual Institute is part of the CRUK Cambridge Centre
Overview of the Breast Cancer Programme

We are a team of experts in laboratory, translational and clinical research who collaborate to achieve an ambitious aim – to provide personalised, precision treatments for people with breast cancer.

The overarching vision of the Breast Programme is to develop an integrated clinical-translational platform bridging basic science to clinical impact that improves survival for all sub-types of breast cancer whilst de-escalating treatment appropriately to avoid unnecessary toxicity. The Breast Programme prioritises answering critical clinical questions by understanding the biology underlying interconnecting networks that drive the different breast cancer sub-types and the different transition states of breast cancer. 

The Vision for the Breast Programme has been driven by the questions that matter to our patients:

• Can my cancer be cured / what is the chance I might die?

• What is the best treatment option for me and why?

• How early will I know if my treatment is working?

• Are my family also at risk?

• What are the potential side-effects?

• Do I need more treatment or closer follow-up?

• How will I know if my disease is returning?

The long term aim of the Breast Cancer Virtual Institute is to deliver precision breast cancer care locally, regionally and nationally using the new Precision Breast Cancer Institute as the foundation for a new treatment paradigm that can be deployed nationally and potentially internationally.

Breast Cancer Research at the CRUK Cambridge Centre

The Breast Cancer Virtual Institute brings a large number of teams, organisations and individuals to deliver the vision and aims.

Clinical Trials and Studies are delivered through (listed in no particular order):

The current trial portfolio is available here: 

 Laboratory, pre-clinical and epidemiological research are delivered by teams at the following (listed in no particular order):

Breast Cancer Virtual Institute YouTube Channel

Online video content featuring programme members or research can be viewed on our YouTube Channel:

Breast Cancer Programme news for members

Breast Cancer Programme Newsletter

If you would like to receive the newsletter in future you can request membership here of the Breast Cancer VI here: https://crukcambridgecentre.org.uk/login  

Programme Contacts

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Department of Oncology
Programme Lead
University of Cambridge
Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute
Programme Lead
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, University of Cambridge, Other
Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Department of Oncology
Breast Cancer Programme Manager