Cancer Research UK’s income increased by £44m in the year to March, according to its annual report and accounts, filed this week.
The charity’s turnover increased by 8.9 per cent, from £492.6m in 2011/12 to £536.6m last year.
CRUK fundraising income increased by £22.6m compared with the previous year, to £272.7m, and retail income rose by £3.1m, to £69.2m. The cost of generating funds rose by £1m to £149.9m.
Income from research rose by £18.3m to £73.6m. The charity said this was mostly down to the rise in licensing income from its subsidiary, Cancer Research Technology. The subsidiary works with pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and AstraZeneca to develop cancer drugs and treatments.
The charity rebranded last year in a bid to boost fundraising levels.
"It is thanks to the generosity of the British public that fundraising income increased by more than 6 per cent this year," said Michael Pragnell, chair of the charity, in his introduction to the annual report. "Fundraising also benefited from the success of our first telethon, Stand Up To Cancer, as well as significant growth in corporate partnerships."
The charity said it now funded more than 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses around the UK, and 35,000 new patients joined its clinical trials each year. It remained on target to open the £650m Crick Institute in London by 2015, it said.