British Empire Cancer Campaign
Cancer Research Campaign

The British Empire Cancer Campaign (BECC or the Campaign') was founded in 1923 "to attack and defeat the disease of cancer in all its forms, to investigate its causes, distribution, symptoms, pathology and treatment and to promote its cure" [Memorandum and Articles of Association]. It was founded amidst rivalry and even hostility from the well-established Imperial Cancer Research Fund (ICRF orthe Fund') and the Medical Research Council (MRC). The ICRF felt that the Campaign would jeopardize its existence and the standing of other well-known cancer research institutions, especially regarding fund-raising; the MRC was concerned that the Campaign would challenge its supremacy within the scientific hierarchy and its control of the direction of biomedical research. Despite this controversial beginning, the Campaign became a very successful and powerful grant-giving body, allocating funds (obtained on an entirely voluntary basis), to universities, hospitals, research institutions and individuals, for a wide range of both clinical and biomedical cancer research. In 1963 the words for Research' were added to the Campaign's title, partly to strengthen its legal position with regard to doubtfully worded legacies tocancer research'. However, this title was found to be rather cumbersome for everyday use and the words British Empire' tended to cause confusion with the wordImperial' in the minds of the public. In 1970, the title Cancer Research Campaign (CRC) was adopted. For details of the early history of the Campaign and its relationship with the ICRF and MRC see A history of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund 1902-1986, Dr Joan Austoker (OUP: 1988). Some information on the Campaign's origins and development of its regional organization can be found in Appendix I of the hard-copy list. Current information on the Campaign can be found on their website: http://www.crc.org.uk.