Professor Brian Cox and our expert panel are discussing the future of cancer research and treatment. 

With nearly 1 in 2 of us in the UK now expected to receive a cancer diagnosis in our lifetime, pursuing a cure is more important than ever. Our panel brings expertise from the lab, the clinic and their own experiences to answer audience questions about lifestyle and genetic risks, treatment side effects, and what they see as the biggest areas for hope. 

Panellists 
Gerard Evan – Principal Group Leader, Francis Crick Institute and King’s College London
Kairbaan Hodivala-Dilke – Deputy Director, Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary University of London
Lauren Mahon – Cancer survivor and former host of You, Me and the Big C
Charles Swanton – Oncologist, University College London NHS Foundation Trust, Chief Clinician, Cancer Research UK and Principal Group Leader, Francis Crick Institute and UCL 

Watch the video version of this episode and read a transcript on our website: www.crick.ac.uk/podcast/cancer 

If you have a follow up question about any of the episodes in the series, email us:  aquestionofscience@bbc.co.uk

A BBC Studios Production for the Francis Crick Institute.  

Music by John Biddle

© BBC Studios / Francis Crick Institute 2025 

 

 

Professor Brian Cox and our expert panel are discussing the future of cancer research and treatment.&nbsp;
With nearly 1 in 2 of us in the UK now expected to receive a cancer diagnosis in our lifetime, pursuing a cure is more important than ever. Our panel brings expertise from the lab, the clinic and their own experiences to answer audience questions about lifestyle and genetic risks, treatment side effects, and what they see as the biggest areas for hope.&nbsp;
Panellists&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Gerard Evan &ndash; Principal Group Leader, Francis Crick Institute and King&rsquo;s College London</li>
<li>Kairbaan Hodivala-Dilke &ndash; Deputy Director, Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary University of London</li>
<li>Lauren Mahon &ndash; Cancer survivor and former host of You, Me and the Big C</li>
<li>Charles Swanton &ndash; Oncologist, University College London NHS Foundation Trust, Chief Clinician, Cancer Research UK and Principal Group Leader, Francis Crick Institute and UCL&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Watch the video version of this episode and read a transcript on our website: <a href="https://www.crick.ac.uk/podcast/cancer">www.crick.ac.uk/podcast/cancer</a>&nbsp;
If you have a follow up question about any of the episodes in the series, email us:&nbsp; aquestionofscience@bbc.co.uk
A BBC Studios Production for the Francis Crick Institute.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Music by John Biddle
&copy; BBC Studios / Francis Crick Institute 2025&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Science you can trust. Questions that matter.  

Join Professor Brian Cox and a panel of the world’s top scientists and experts as they tackle your questions about some of the biggest science challenges facing society today. 

Can we cure cancer? How do you separate nutrition fact from fiction? What do climate change and the march of AI mean for our future? Could we live forever? Each episode is recorded in front of a live audience and it’s their questions that drive the debate. 

Hear from the experts who actually know what they’re talking about, including Adam Rutherford, Helen Sharman, George Monbiot, Giles Yeo, Jeanette Winterson, Rory Cellan-Jones, Paul Nurse, Kevin Fong and You, Me and the Big C’s Lauren Mahon.  

With a focus on accuracy, openness, and debate, A Question of Science brings you the latest on what we know, what we don’t, and where science might take us next. 

A BBC Studios production for the Francis Crick Institute, an independent charity and world-leading research lab. 

Science you can trust. Questions that matter.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Join Professor Brian Cox and a panel of the world&rsquo;s top scientists and experts as they tackle your questions about some of the biggest science challenges facing society today.&nbsp;
Can we cure cancer? How do you separate nutrition fact from fiction? What do climate change and the march of AI mean for our future? Could we live forever? Each episode is recorded in front of a live audience and it&rsquo;s their questions that drive the debate.&nbsp;
Hear from the experts who actually know what they&rsquo;re talking about, including Adam Rutherford, Helen Sharman, George Monbiot, Giles Yeo, Jeanette Winterson, Rory Cellan-Jones, Paul Nurse, Kevin Fong and You, Me and the Big C&rsquo;s Lauren Mahon.&nbsp;&nbsp;
With a focus on accuracy, openness, and debate, A Question of Science brings you the latest on what we know, what we don&rsquo;t, and where science might take us next.&nbsp;
A BBC Studios production for the Francis Crick Institute, an independent charity and world-leading research lab.&nbsp;

A Question of Science

Science you can trust. Questions that matter.  

Join Professor Brian Cox and a panel of the world’s top scientists and experts as they tackle your questions about some of the biggest science challenges facing society today. 

Can we cure cancer? How do you separate nutrition fact from fiction? What do climate change and the march of AI mean for our future? Could we live forever? Each episode is recorded in front of a lively audience and it’s their questions that drive the debate. 

Hear from the experts who actually know what they’re talking about, including Adam Rutherford, Helen Sharman, George Monbiot, Giles Yeo, Jeanette Winterson, Rory Cellan-Jones, Paul Nurse, Kevin Fong and You, Me and the Big C’s Lauren Mahon.  

With a focus on accuracy, openness, and debate, A Question of Science brings you the latest on what we know, what we don’t, and where science might take us next. 

A BBC Studios production for the Francis Crick Institute, an independent charity and world-leading research lab. 

Science you can trust. Questions that matter.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Join Professor Brian Cox and a panel of the world&rsquo;s top scientists and experts as they tackle your questions about some of the biggest science challenges facing society today.&nbsp;
Can we cure cancer? How do you separate nutrition fact from fiction? What do climate change and the march of AI mean for our future? Could we live forever? Each episode is recorded in front of a lively audience and it&rsquo;s their questions that drive the debate.&nbsp;
Hear from the experts who actually know what they&rsquo;re talking about, including Adam Rutherford, Helen Sharman, George Monbiot, Giles Yeo, Jeanette Winterson, Rory Cellan-Jones, Paul Nurse, Kevin Fong and You, Me and the Big C&rsquo;s Lauren Mahon.&nbsp;&nbsp;
With a focus on accuracy, openness, and debate, A Question of Science brings you the latest on what we know, what we don&rsquo;t, and where science might take us next.&nbsp;
A BBC Studios production for the Francis Crick Institute, an independent charity and world-leading research lab.&nbsp;

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