Luxembourg, 19 October 2022
Ladies and gentlemen,
Cancer affects the entire breadth of our societies – and that means that every section of society needs to be part of our answer to it.
So I am delighted to join today’s World Cancer Congress – which gathers cancer and public health experts, political and business leaders, civil society representatives, patient support groups and scientists, all with one common goal:
To lessen the impact of cancer on our citizens, our health systems, and our communities.
With your invaluable experience and unique perspective, each of you plays a vital role in this effort – and this is exactly the type of collaboration we need to deliver concrete and lasting change.
In Europe, around 2.7 million people are diagnosed with cancer every year. This means that every year, 2.7 million people with families and friends, with hopes and dreams, are given devastating news that brings fear, anxiety and uncertainty.
On top of this, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on cancer care and treatment.
For example, breast cancer screening rates fell by an average of 6% across the EU in 2020, and the number of hospital admissions for cancer surgeries decreased by more than 11%.
I know that citizens faced similar challenges all over the world.
Thankfully, data show that both screening and care volumes began to rebound soon after the pandemic’s shock phase ended in late 2020.
However, the disruptions in early diagnosis and treatment mean that patients will eventually seek care at a later stage – and this will come at a high cost for both patients and healthcare systems.
Even before COVID-19, the number of lives lost to cancer was set to increase by more than 24% by 2035. When we also consider that over 40% of cancers can be prevented – it is clear that we can – and must — do more to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.
Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan is our commitment to do exactly that.
I’m very proud that, since we adopted the Cancer Plan last year, we have made considerable progress in a number of different areas:
When it comes to research and innovation, we now have the first EU Knowledge Centre on Cancer up and running to facilitate the coordination of scientific and technical cancer-related initiatives at EU level.
To improve standards of care in the EU, the work has started to establish an EU Network linking National Comprehensive Cancer Centres by 2025.
In the area of quality of life, we have launched an EU-wide process to address fairness in access to financial services for people with a history of cancer, this in view of establishing the first ever EU Code of Conduct.
When it comes to inequalities, we have for the first time an EU inequalities registry to monitor trends and provide guidance for the prioritisation of investments at EU and national level.
Citizens should have the same access to diagnosis, treatment and care, no matter where they live in the EU – and that is one of the central aims of the Plan.
I would also like to mention our recent proposal for new recommendations on cancer screening – this is another major achievement.
It is the first time our screening recommendations are updated in 20 years, and we have made sure they reflect the latest scientific knowledge and screening technologies.
New EU guidelines can change the realities for cancer patients, not only in the EU but also beyond, as they can serve as inspiration also for other parts of the world in their fight against cancer.
We are also making progress on prevention through immunisation.
An encouraging example comes from the increase in HPV vaccine coverage in several EU countries in 2020. Despite all disruptions to care, countries such as Netherlands, Latvia, Ireland and Denmark made great progress toward the ambitious 2030 HPV coverage target that we have set out in Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan is a prime example of how a region can work together to improve cancer control.
Our strength lies precisely in our ability to work together – to share our knowledge, experience and best practices so that we can reduce the global burden of cancer.
Partnerships are essential – at every level – and the EU will continue to work closely with partners on cancer.
Only last week I was in Washington to discuss cooperation on cancer with US Secretary for Health and the leadership of the National Cancer Institute.
With Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, the EU also has the opportunity, and I would say also duty, to help shaping the global work to address cancer. With the US, we are starting to explore a close transatlantic cooperation, for the benefits of patients and families.
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to close by giving thanks to the Union for International Cancer Control – not only for its work to support the cancer community and to promote greater equity in cancer treatment and care – but for bringing together at this year’s World Cancer Congress, so that we can do the same.
Now, I wish you a productive and insightful event.
Source – EU Commission – VISIT WEBSITE