Global inequalities found in cancer research funding

Researchers at the University of Southampton examining worldwide variations in funding for cancer research say there’s a pressing need to invest more in lower income countries.

They also reveal research into certain treatments that urgently need more money, in particular surgery and radiotherapy, and that overall annual research investment has largely decreased, globally, since 2016.

The team’s study, due for publication in the journal The Lancet Oncology, shows most research income is concentrated in higher income countries, leaving others struggling to keep pace with the demands the disease places on their health systems. The rate of increase in many types of cancer is highest in lower-income settings.

Lead author Dr. Michael Head, of the University of Southampton, explains, “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.”

The researchers combined and examined two separate datasets recording public and philanthropic funding (from 2016–2020 and 2021–2023). They used machine learning, large language models and expert scrutiny to analyze the allocation and distribution of grants. As well as a global picture, the team examined the funding situation across the 56 Commonwealth countries.

The team identified overall that 107,955 cancer research awards were made globally during the study period, to the tune of 51.4bn US dollars. Of this total funding, the U.S. provided the highest investment at $29.3bn (57%).

Collectively, the Commonwealth contributed $8.7bn (17%), with the UK the lead contributor at $5.7bn (11%), followed by Australia at $1.5bn (2.9%) and Canada at $1.3bn (2.6%). Largely, this funding was invested back into these leading nations and less so towards lower-income countries.

Globally, low-income countries received a tiny proportion of cancer research awards totaling just $8.4m, which equates to less than 0.1% of money awarded during the study period. The researchers point to this as a problem as these countries carry a heavy cancer burden and inequalities restrict the ability for all to benefit from cancer knowledge.

Anbang Du, another lead author from the University of Southampton, cautions, “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 effort to mobilize funding, build sustained partnerships and strengthen training and infrastructure so that advances in cancer science benefit everyone, everywhere.”

Of funding worldwide, 76% was for pre-clinical (laboratory science) research, with breast cancer (10%), blood cancer (nine percent) and clinical trials (seven percent)—all well-funded.

However, cancer surgery and radiotherapy research were found to be particularly underfunded at 1.7% and 3.1% respectively. Both these treatments are integral to a wide spectrum of cancer care, causing the researchers to urge a strong case for increased funding in these areas.

Apart from a sharp increase in 2021, global cancer research investment has decreased annually, with the Commonwealth following this trend. Investment from five BRICS countries, including Russia, India and China, rose until 2018, but has since declined. However, EU investment has increased since 2021.

The University of Southampton (UK) led study was conducted in collaboration with Queen’s University Belfast (UK), Harvard University (U.S.), Imperial College (UK) and University of Health and Allied Sciences (Ghana).