The government's national cancer director has pledged to take action after a "cancer map" revealed discrepancies between the death rates for certain cancers and the level of research funding allocated to them.

Published by the National Cancer Research Institute on Monday, the original purpose of the map was to detail all ongoing cancer research, to prevent funds being allocated to two different projects examining the same issues.

However, it also revealed that funding allocation did not match the occurrences of the cancer types, by pooling figures from 15 cancer research organisations.

A prime example was lung cancer, which accounted for 22 per cent of cancer deaths in 2000, but research into this type of the disease only received three per cent of the available funding. Research into other cancers including those of the pancreas and stomach also fared badly in the allocation of funds.

In contrast, leukaemia and breast cancer research each received 18 per cent of the available funding, but these cancers only accounted for three per cent and eight per cent of deaths from cancer respectively.

Another concern was the type of research; while more than a fifth of allocated funding goes to projects to research new treatments, 16 per cent goes into looking at the causes of cancer, eight per cent funds early detection and diagnosis research, while only two per cent of funding is spent on finding new preventative measures.

"At last we have a clear map of cancer research in the UK," said Dr Liam O'Toole, director of the NCRI.

"Armed with this we can see where we are at the moment and we can start to plan better where we want to get to in the future, in order to provide the new diagnostic tools and treatments that we still so badly need in many cancers."

The national cancer director, Professor Mike Richards, welcomed the publication of the map.

"For the first time, we have a very useful overview of cancer research in this country," he said.

"Now we will be working together to address the gaps."

However, shadow health secretary Dr Liam Fox described the discovery as "unacceptable."

"This report reveals fundamental weaknesses in the Government's approach to cancer care," he said.

"It is simply unacceptable that research into major killers, such as lung cancer, is so under funded.

"It is clear that more attention should be paid to preventing cancer if we are to have a genuine health service rather than just a disease-response service."