Global cancer research funding is falling short just as the disease is placing an unprecedented strain on health systems worldwide.
A new international study led by the University of Southampton has revealed worrying trends in funding for cancer research, showing that global investment has dropped each year since 2016, except for a brief rise in 2021.
Researchers warn that the decline is out of step with the rising cancer burden, particularly in lower-income countries where incidence rates are climbing fastest.
The findings suggest that without coordinated action, vast inequalities in treatment access and outcomes will persist, leaving the world ill-prepared to meet the growing demand for care.
Dr Michael Head, lead author of the study from the University of Southampton, explained: “Globally, cancer is responsible for one in five deaths.
“Inequalities in investment across nations, and low research funding for certain treatments, can lead to an imbalance in the cancers we can tackle and the areas of the world benefiting. It’s crucial we understand how and where money is allocated.”
Wealthier nations dominate research income
The analysis, conducted in partnership with Queen’s University Belfast, Harvard University, Imperial College London and Ghana’s University of Health and Allied Sciences, examined two datasets covering public and philanthropic grants between 2016 and 2023.
Using machine learning and expert review, the team tracked nearly 108,000 awards worth $51.4bn. The United States accounted for more than half of all cancer research funding, providing $29.3bn (57%).
Commonwealth countries together contributed $8.7bn (17%), with the UK leading at $5.7bn, followed by Australia ($1.5bn) and Canada ($1.3bn). However, the vast majority of this money stayed within the same donor countries.
By contrast, low-income nations received just $8.4m – less than 0.1% of the global total – despite carrying a significant share of the world’s cancer burden.
Underfunded areas: Surgery and radiotherapy
While pre-clinical research attracted the bulk of investment (76%), the study highlighted critical shortfalls in areas essential for cancer treatment.
Surgery accounted for only 1.7% of total cancer research funding, and radiotherapy 3.1%. Both are central to cancer care worldwide, particularly in settings where access to advanced therapies is limited.
Other areas such as breast cancer (10%), blood cancer (9%) and clinical trials (7%) attracted relatively strong investment, but researchers stress the need for a rebalancing to ensure life-saving treatments are not neglected.
Cancer research inequalities threaten global progress
The study also assessed funding patterns across the Commonwealth’s 56 nations. Despite representing nearly a third of the global population, many member states received little to no support for local research.
Without scaling up investment, experts caution that scientific advances will continue to disproportionately benefit wealthier regions, leaving poorer nations struggling with growing cancer caseloads and limited resources.
The decline in cancer research funding is not universal. European Union contributions have grown since 2021, while investments from BRICS countries such as China and India peaked in 2018 before tapering off.
Still, the overall trajectory shows shrinking global resources for an expanding global challenge.
Call for coordinated action
Researchers are urging international organisations and governments to treat cancer research funding as a shared global responsibility.
Building sustainable partnerships, supporting local training, and investing in infrastructure are seen as essential steps to ensure that breakthroughs in cancer science reach all populations, not just those in high-income settings.
Anbang Du, another lead author from the University of Southampton, added: “Unless we scale up targeted investments and build local research capacity, the inequalities will continue to persist – if the US reduces its funding, that gap will widen even further.
“It is crucial for nation groups like the Commonwealth to coordinate efforts to mobilise funding, build sustained partnerships and strengthen training and infrastructure so that advances in cancer science benefit everyone, everywhere.”
Without renewed and equitable funding, experts warn that the world risks widening disparities in cancer care — and losing crucial ground in the fight against one of the leading causes of death worldwide.
