Tumour Microenvironment
Understanding how the tumour microenvironment affects cancer cell behaviour and how it contributes to a cancer cell’s response to ionising radiation is essential in understanding how to prevent the establishment, growth and progression of cancers and how to exploit the tumour microenvironment for therapeutic gain.
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Welcome to the The Department of Oncology. The Department of Oncology's mission is to improve cancer care through research and teaching. There is strong emphasis on translation, with established infrastructure to develop scientific insights toward clinical appreciation.
The Department houses over 400 staff and postgraduate students - both clinical and non-clinical - and is one of the largest departments in the University of Oxford's Medical Sciences Division.
One of the key aims for the Department is to bring together basic scientific and clinical research groups from across Oxford - based in the Old Road Campus Research Building, the Radiobiology Research Institute, the Weatherall Institute for Molecular Medicine and the NHS Cancer and Haematology Centre - to apply knowledge of cancer and to develop research so that we may better understand how we can combat cancer in the most effective way possible.
Our News
New Study Finds Common Virus May Improve Skin Cancer Treatment Outcomes
23 April 2025
A new study led by the University of Oxford has revealed that a common and usually harmless virus may positively influence how skin cancer patients respond to current treatments.
Oxford and GSK launch £50million immuno-prevention programme to advance novel cancer research
27 January 2025
Global biopharma company GSK invests up to £50 million in a collaboration with Oxford to advance the understanding of how cancer develops, which could inform future development of vaccines to prevent cancer.
Machine Learning Enhances Detection of Multiple Cancer Types from Blood
8 January 2025
Researchers from the University of Oxford have developed TriOx, a highly sensitive blood test that detects six cancers at their earliest stages. Published today in Nature Communications, the findings highlight the test’s potential to transform early cancer detection and improve patient outcomes.
MSc Medical Physics with Radiobiology receives IPEM accreditation
29 November 2024
The Department of Oncology at the University of Oxford is delighted to announce that our new MSc Medical Physics with Radiobiology programme has received Masters Level Accreditation from the Institute of Physics and Engineering Medicine (IPEM).