Reflecting on Nine New Country Reports - Taking Cancer Data on the Road across Europe
Cancer is about more than opinions. It is about facts and stories of those affected that should inform political consensus and decisive action at all levels of governance. As part of our Time to Accelerate campaign, ECO has published a novel series of nine European Cancer Pulse country reports, available here. Produced in partnership with leading national organisations and experts, these reports are one-page factsheets using data to identify key policy issues in cancer control for each country and comparing then to European averages.
Our work paints a mixed picture of cancer policy progress across Europe, but one thing is clear: the story it tells is making headlines. Here is what we learnt through the exercise:
Data-informed cancer policy works!
The impact of our reports has been immediate in all countries.
– In Greece, a national cancer plan and national cancer registry were announced, as well as the country’s commitment to advance the right to be forgotten for cancer survivors.
– In Bulgaria, the extension of HPV vaccination to boys was promised.
– In France, the country’s lack of progress on cancer screening was featured in leading national media, as the was the impact of the cancer workforce crisis in the United Kingdom.
All of our country reports contain already existing data from international or national health institutions. For this data to make an impact, however, it needs to be made available to decision-makers and the general public. This is the commitment of the European Cancer Pulse: amplifying data intelligence from across the cancer community to inform positive change to the benefit of cancer professionals and patients.
European countries have similar cancer problems requiring common solutions
The tobacco epidemic hitting Bulgaria and France. Insufficient cancer screening coverage in Spain and Croatia. Cancer workforce shortages affecting patient care in the United Kingdom and Croatia. Stark regional differences in cancer survival and mortality in Ireland and Slovakia. These are just some of the commonalities we saw across our country visits. This highlighted an important reality: cancer is not just about North-South or East-West differences, but a truly European problem.
The necessity of completing, refreshing, and expanding Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan to address these challenges is evident. But it is also crucial that countries learn more from each other: France from Ireland on deploying successful HPV vaccination, Italy from Croatia on launching a lung cancer screening program, Greece from Slovakia on establishing its national cancer registry. This is the true sense of European collaboration we advocate to turn the tide against cancer.
Each country has a unique perspective to enrich EU cancer policy
How to deliver cancer treatment on a Greek island, or in a medical desert in rural France or Croatia? How to advance cancer care in Spain without a national statistic due to regionalisation of healthcare? How to resolve 1:3 differences in cancer screening between Northern and Southern Italy? These are just some of the topics raised during our national conversations – conversations that wouldn’t be part of usual discussions in Brussels.
This national reality-check is fundamental for the success of EU cancer policy. It provides opportunities to do better, be more relevant, for those affected by the disease. All national stakeholders want to contribute to a cancer-free future for Europe, but this can only happen if they are actively engaged in its making.
It is Time to Accelerate for evidence-based change in cancer policy!
Are you interested in joining the endeavour and helping your country create a country report? Feel free to contact us by sending an email to
