Cancerbackup

Cancerbackup's mission is to give cancer patients and their families the up-to-date information, practical advice and support they need to deal with the fear and uncertainty of cancer.

Cancerbackup was founded in 1985 by a remarkable woman - Dr Vicky Clement-Jones - who refused to be defeated by her diagnosis of inoperable ovarian cancer. Given only three months to live, she in fact survived five years, long enough to establish Cancerbackup and be assured of its success. She realised that cancer patients, and their families and friends, had a great need for high quality and up to date information, practical advice and support.

Cancerbackup meets this need with a free cancer information service staffed by qualified and experienced cancer nurses, publications on all aspects of cancer written specifically for patients and their families (available in full on their website) and a growing number of Cancerbackup local centres in hospitals up and down the country, also staffed by specialist cancer nurses.

Each year the Cancerbackup nurses provide information and support for nearly 50,000 cancer patients and their families by telephone, letter and email and Cancerbackup provides hundreds of thousands of factsheets on every aspect of cancer. More than 3.7 million people use the Cancerbackup website every month.

The nurses are supported by around two hundred cancer specialists to help them provide the highest quality information and the Cancerbackup database has the most comprehensive list of resources, organisations and support groups for cancer patients in the UK. Cancerbackup supports health professionals with information on controversial and difficult cancer topics written specifically for doctors and with the most comprehensive listing of UK Cancer treatment guidelines.

Cancerbackup is entirely supported by voluntary donations, trusts and corporate sponsorship. We are enormously grateful to the many people who give so generously and to our trust and corporate sponsors. Wherever possible Cancerbackup acknowledges that sponsorship on its website and publications.