Cancer Care West was originally established as The Leukaemia Trust in 1993 to create a charitable base for the development of Haematology and Medical Oncology services in the West of Ireland.

In the years that followed, the charity raised funds to support Haematology and Medical Oncology services at Galway University Hospital through a programme of patient support and new therapy development, in addition to research and education in cancer and leukaemia care.

In the subsequent years, at a national level, the need to develop regional cancer centres was recognised. Through the lobbying of the Leukaemia Trust and the work of many people, Galway University Hospital has since become a designated supra regional cancer centre for the West of Ireland. It is in this context, and with our concerns that the title The Leukaemia Trust was too restrictive within the overall brief and interests of the charity, it was then registered in its operating name Cancer Care West in 2006.

In March 2007 Cancer Care West opened its residential facility, Inis Aoibhinn, at University Hospital Galway. This was followed in July 2009 with the opening of a dedicated Cancer Support Centre at Westside, Galway. Since then, Inis Aoibhinn and the Galway Cancer Support Centre have supported thousands of people affected by cancer and Cancer Care West continues to expand our range of support services with the establishment of our Psycho-Oncology service, Patient and Family Support Programme and Support Services for Children.

In 2017 we opened our Donegal Cancer Support Centre in Letterkenny, recognising the gap in support services in that region. In line with best practice and current recommendations regarding exercise and the management of cancer, we launched our dedicated rehabilitation gym in our Galway Cancer Support Centre in 2018. We continue to work towards meeting the needs of those impacted by cancer in line with best practice and evidence-based guidelines, to ensure that no one goes through cancer alone.