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Event
17 - 18 February 2026, Brussels & online
Newly Implementable Programmes for Prostate, Lung and Gastric Cancer Screening
Three years ago, the European Union reshaped the agenda on cancer screening. The goal? Save lives through early detection, with a focus on prostate, lung, and gastric cancer.
How? Launch a series of projects – PRAISE-U, SOLACE, and TOGAS – to pilot and prepare for the implementation of new screening programmes which account for the needs of individuals and their different backgrounds. Now it's time to assess the progress and turn pilots into programmes.
This is a unique event for the cancer community. Make sure to be part of it.
17 & 18 February - Brussels & online
Mark your calendars now! Registrations open soon.
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Event
19 - 20 November 2025, Radisson Collection Hotel, Grand Place Brussels (and Online)
Cancer in a Changing Global Landscape:
Challenges & Commitments
In an era of political disruption and uncertainty, the European Cancer Summit 2025 convenes the broad cancer community to chart a new path forward.
These extraordinary times call for extraordinary commitment. As budgets tighten and investments in health care come under intense scrutiny, the need to maximise every euro and drive innovation has never been greater. The cancer community must not only learn from past successes but also adapt rapidly to safeguard the future of patient care.
Unity is now more vital than ever, and nowhere is that unity better realised than at the biggest cancer policy event in Europe.
The European Cancer Summit takes place on 19-20 November, in Brussels & online. Registrations are now open!
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Event
15 July 2025, European Parliament & Online
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news
04 July 2025
4 July, Larnaka – More than 4,500 Cypriots are diagnosed with cancer each year, adding to the more than 23 million people in Europe currently living with or beyond the disease.
Europe’s ambitious Beating Cancer Plan and the EU Cancer Mission have initiated unprecedented momentum in cancer prevention, care, and survivorship. We must now build on that progress.
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news
02 July 2025
Each year, more than 4,500 Cypriots are diagnosed with cancer, and more than 2,000 die from the disease. It does not have to be this way.
Cyprus has made real progress in cancer control, but long-standing gaps still cost lives. Maintaining the status quo is not an option.
Urgent action is needed!
The ‘European Cancer Pulse Country Report on Cyprus’, released today by the European Cancer Organisation (ECO) in partnership with the Cyprus Association of Cancer Patients and Friends (PASYKAF), identifies a range of alarming issues that need to be addressed promptly, including:
- Risk factors: An estimated 23% of the Cypriot population smokes daily, well above the EU average. Tobacco control policies here remain looser than elsewhere, ranking 28th out of 37 European countries. The result: Cyprus experiences 6% more lung cancer cases than the EU average, nearly 1 in 5 cancer deaths in the country.
- National Cancer Strategy: This strategy, dating back from 2019, ranks only 17th among national cancer plans in the European region. It struggles with adequate financing, prevention, health equity, emergency preparedness, and needs stronger alignment with European goals on cancer prevention and patients and survivors’ quality of life.
- Screening gaps: Although recommended for all EU countries since 2003, Cypriot screening programmes for cervical and colorectal cancer have been extensively delayed, resulting Cyprus struggling with some of the lowest screening rates in Europe. The recent start of the colorectal cancer screening programme needs to be the start of a new era in cancer care.
- Social inequalities: As a result of opportunistic screening practices and high out-of-pocket expenses, women with very low incomes are three times less likely to be screened for cervical cancer than those with high incomes. The evidence is clear: a wide variety of inequalities is impacting cancer incidence and outcomes across the country.
- Health workforce imbalance: Cyprus has fewer nurses than other European countries compared to its numbers of physicians and cancer cases. This imbalance can affect the quality of care patients receive and makes it more difficult to reform the health system to be more sustainable and flexible.
The creation of the National Cancer Institute and the upcoming Cyprus Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers provide a critical opportunity for Cyprus to accelerate momentum on its National Cancer Strategy and set more ambitious policy objectives. This might include:
- Adopting a minimum age for tobacco sales of 21 (‘tobacco 21’) and banning the sales and delivery of tobacco products to people born after 1 January 2012 to achieve a tobacco-free generation by 2040;
- delivering new regulation to protect citizens from second-hand smoke in outdoor locations such as playgrounds, restaurants, and beaches.
- Accelerating implementation of a national cervical cancer screening programme, ensuring higher targets of breast cancer screening uptake are achieved and joining pan-European efforts to improve access to lung cancer screening.
Nicolas Philippou, Chief Executive Officer of PASYKAF, says:
‘PASYKAF calls for targeted investment, especially in prevention, education and research on cancer, unified national cancer strategies in a fragmented landscape under Comprehensive Cancer Networks, acceleration of implementation of screening programs and patient-centred policies to ensure that every person with cancer can live with dignity, support, and access to equal care. Patients must remain at the centre, and our role as their voice is more vital than ever.’
Andreas Charalambous, Past-President of the European Cancer Organisation, says:
‘The EU Beating Cancer Plan presents a strategic opportunity for Cyprus to move toward the development of a Comprehensive Cancer Centre (CCC). While the country faces notable constraints, including limited infrastructure and relatively low system maturity, these challenges can be addressed through strengthened collaboration among healthcare providers. By fostering coordinated efforts and leveraging European support, Cyprus can enhance its cancer care ecosystem and take significant steps toward establishing a CCC within its national context.’
Stella Kyriakides, Former EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, and the other expert speakers reunite for Cyprus Cancer Policy in European Spotlight: Forging Collaborations.
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news
26 June 2025
The growing use of oral cancer treatments is a welcome advancement in cancer care, offering patients greater flexibility and making at-home care more accessible. This is especially beneficial for patients in Europe who may live far from cancer centres, reducing travel time and easing the burden on both patients and healthcare providers.
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essential-requirements
June 2025
Every year, 300,000 Europeans receive a blood cancer diagnosis such as leukaemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. And the numbers are on the rise.
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news
04 June 2025
The EU-funded project CANDLE – National CAncer data Node DeveLopErs – officially kicked off on 1 June 2025, launching its three-year mission to build a robust cancer research infrastructure across EU Member States.
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news
26 May 2025
Every minute, five people in the EU hear the life-changing words: ‘You have cancer.’
Looking ahead to 2035, projections show that cancer will become the leading cause of death in the EU, with lives lost expected to rise by more than 24%. But while cancer is a unique experience for everyone, it’s more than an individual challenge – it’s a global challenge.
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