Mission
Our mission is to reduce cancer burden through proactive prevention, screening, and early diagnosis by:
- Empowering individuals and communities to make informed, risk-reducing choices.
- Ensuring equitable access to high-quality screening that detects cancer early.
- Advancing early detection through research, innovation, and collaboration.
- Achieving the NHS goal of diagnosing 75% of cancers at stage 1–2 by 2028.
- Equipping healthcare providers with the tools, training, and data to act quickly.
- Tackling health inequalities through tailored, inclusive interventions.
Core Pillars
- Prevention: Promote healthy behaviours and risk reduction.
- Early Detection: Diagnose cancer earlier for better outcomes.
- Equity: Ensure all populations benefit equally.
- Innovation: Drive improvement through research and technology.
Cardiff SPED Research Focus
Behaviour:
Exploring the drivers of cancer symptom help-seeking and screening participation. Using behavioural science and community-based interventions, we aim to reduce inequalities and optimise early detection behaviours.
Early Detection & Screening:
Conducting NIHR-funded clinical trials, CONSCOP2, FORE-AI, ColoCAP, to evaluate new cancer screening technologies and their NHS integration. Through the CRUK-funded CD3 programme, we develop data-driven cancer risk prediction models, with expertise in colorectal cancer.
Biology:
Investigating how lifestyle and nutrition influence cancer development and outcomes. By uncovering the biological mechanisms linking diet to health and disease, we aim to strengthen public health advice and inform development of preventive therapies.
Affiliated research groups
Prof Kate Brain
Prof Sunil Dolwani
Dr Lee Parry
Dr Grace McCutchan
Dr Pamela Smith
Further links
Cardiff Centre for trials research
European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute – Cardiff University