To mark World Cancer Day 2022 today, the Science Museum has announced that the major new, world first exhibition ‘Cancer Revolution: Science, innovation and hope‘ – which is currently running at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester until 27 March 2022 – will open at the Science Museum in London on 25 May 2022 and run until January 2023.
‘Cancer Revolution: Science, innovation and hope‘ is the world’s first major object-rich exhibition to reveal the past, present and future of how cancer is prevented, detected and treated.
The touring exhibition has been developed by the Science Museum Group, with support from expert partner Cancer Research UK, to explore the revolution in science that is transforming cancer care.
On display will be never-before seen objects, cutting edge treatment and research, new artist commissions and installations, interactive exhibits and a breadth of personal stories. Cancer Revolution will reveal how researchers, clinicians, policy makers and patients are fuelling progress in a powerful expression of shared hope and will present the stories of people affected by cancer, together with those who study and treat it.
Objects that have never been displayed before in the UK include the recent discovery of the first malignant bone tumour to be identified in a dinosaur fossil and a cast from the 1950s developed to hold radium seeds for skin cancer treatment.
Cancer Revolution will explore how advances in technology and research are helping to detect and treat the disease earlier and more effectively than before, helping to lessen the impact of cancer treatment on patient’s lives. On display will be the latest technologies and treatments transforming cancer diagnosis, including the Cytosponge which is reshaping the early detection of signs of oesophageal cancer, and the Galleri test, which is designed to detect over 50 types of cancer from one blood sample and is currently being trialled by the NHS. Cancer care has also evolved to incorporate the latest technological innovations, and visitors will discover how the Royal Marsden is using robotic surgery to remove tumours with greater precision, and how scientists at Imperial College London are developing new surgical tools like the iKnife, that signals whether human tissue cut during surgery is cancerous.
The exhibition also features an array of incredible artworks from Luke Jerram, Katharine Dowson and Nudrat Afza that speak to the emotional experience of cancer treatment.
From busting myths about the causes of cancer, to exploring the history of the disease and how the latest cancer research, early detection technologies and immunotherapies are advancing cancer care today, Cancer Revolution will show how far we have come in tackling the disease. The exhibition reveals how cancer has been treated over the centuries, from high-risk surgeries to the discovery of the first chemotherapy drugs, and the important challenges that remain to be solved.
