What could be a cancer mission objective if we join our forces in the fight against cancer?

Abstract

The European cancer burden is growing rapidly, with an estimated 2 million deaths a year according to the latest research. As almost half of cancers are diagnosed after the age of 65, and considering the aging European population, a tidal wave of cancer cases will sweep across Europe within the coming decades. Without major action, the additional number of annual cancer cases is expected to rise from 4.2 million to 5.2 million by 2040. If we are to reach plateauing numbers by 2040 (as a minimum goal), this would require 0.75% annual reduction in risk and 1% reduction in risk of death. These challenges call for attack from various angles, coordinated efforts, rational strategies, initiatives throughout the cancer trajectory, activities to reduce inequities, and implementation of evidence-based measures. In order to defeat the societal challenges of cancer through innovation, Europe will need to join forces and connect the European Commission and the member states, politicians and citizens, industries and patient associations. A cancer mission should thus unite the public and patient viewpoint to the perspective of cancer professionals. The authors describe a plan that has been agreed upon among some of the major European Cancer organizations and associations. This plan uses a cancer mission as a tool and must deliver robust medical evidence to patients and doctors through high-quality research delivering sustainable and affordable strategies for prevention, treatment, and follow-up.

Analysing the attributes of Comprehensive Cancer Centres and Cancer Centres across Europe to identify key hallmarks

“…In response to this challenge, we see in health systems across Europe a continuous process of concentration, cooperation in networks and formation of cancer centres 1 within larger hospitals and university medical centres, strengthening clinical pathways and integrating with translational research and basic science. Recently, comprehensive cancer centres as hubs within wider 'Comprehensive Cancer Infrastructures' have been recommended to be an integral part of the EU Cancer Mission both by the Cancer Mission Board [2] and the European cancer community [3][4][5][6][7] to promote basic and translational research, to innovate in early detection and precision cancer medicine, and to meet the challenges of access to and quality of cancer care. More specifically, the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI) and the European Academy of Cancer Sciences (EACS) suggest that there should be one comprehensive cancer centre per 5-10 million people and at least one per member state, serving as quality drivers and network hubs within the national structures [3][4][5][6][7] and establishing a Europe-wide network of cancer centres in order to close the quality gap [8,9].…”

100 European core quality standards for cancer care and research centres

“…In addition, a cancer mission is being drafted by the European Commission, 2 with some objectives most likely to be focused on the need to ensure quality of treatment, care, and research, and to create more comprehensive cancer centres and infrastructure. 3,4 In Europe, many cancer centres, which act as hubs of interlocking clinical research networks, provide state-of-the-art cancer services. Thus, mechanisms for monitoring compliance with high-quality standards of care and translational research for cancer centres across Europe are crucial.…”