A report that mapped childhood cancer research spending against the priorities that matter most to patients, families and professionals has revealed a structural gap between stated priorities and funding decisions after five top priorities have gone unfunded.
The report, led by researchers at the University of Surrey, reviewed 452 studies funded by 30 UK organizations between January 2020 and July 2025. The team found that 81% of studies and £94 million of the total funding focused on a single priority: developing better and kinder treatments.
While treatment research is vital, five of the 23 priorities identified by the James Lind Alliance Children’s Cancer Priority Setting Partnership received no funding at all. These include:
- improving the hospital experience for children (the top priority chosen by children in a dedicated workshop)
- supporting the transition from child to adult services
- addressing the emotional wellbeing of professionals who care for children with cancer
Three-quarters of funded studies were pre-clinical. Research addressing psychosocial well-being, patient experience and life after cancer remains significantly underrepresented.
The priorities were established in 2022 through the James Lind Alliance Children’s Cancer Priority Setting Partnership, a rigorous process that brought together children with cancer, their families, survivors and healthcare professionals to agree on the most important unanswered questions. The partnership’s findings were published in BMJ Open.
Nine of the 23 priorities – including three in the Top 10 – did not appear in any of the 30 funders’ research strategies reviewed.
“The good news is that the top two priorities are well supported by research funding,” said Susie Aldiss, lead author of the study from the University of Surrey. “But this study shows that what children, families and survivors say matters most is not always reflected in where the money goes. If we want research to serve the people it’s meant to help, we need to close the gap.”
Data from University of Surrey