Today, just before World Cancer Day, 4 February, the Commission and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) present the first cancer country profiles of the European Cancer Inequalities Register for all Member States of EU, Norway and Iceland.

The profiles show that EU countries spent a significant amount of almost €170 billion on cancer care (in 2018).

Another important finding is that lung cancer remains the most common cause of cancer death.

There are also large inequalities in cancer mortality between EU countries and within countries.

This can partly be explained by different exposures to cancer risk factors, but also by the different capacity of health systems to provide timely and free access to early diagnosis, high-quality cancer care and treatment.

The profiles show that identifying challenges and sharing best practices between Member States can help countries overcome cancer inequalities.

The profiles are presented at the high-level conference under the European Plan to Fight Cancer: "Cancer Conference - Equity, Excellence and Innovation: Modern Care for All Cancer Patients", jointly organized by the Commission and the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The profiles highlight other important facts:

With 26% of deaths, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the EU after cardiovascular disease.

There is almost a two-fold difference between countries in cancer mortality, as well as large gender differences.

They adopted a national plan to fight cancer in our country

There are also clear socioeconomic inequalities in cancer mortality.

These differences are partly explained by differences in exposure to risk factors such as smoking, obesity, harmful alcohol consumption and air pollution.

In general, risk factors tend to predominate among men and low-income, low-education groups.

The challenges facing the EU countries related to the provision of high-quality care for cancer patients are also different.

Some countries have the equipment but lack qualified medical personnel, while others have a large number of qualified doctors but lack, for example, radiotherapy machines.

The costs of prevention have increased in recent years.

However, they are only 3.4% of total health care costs.

The Commission took action on the European plan to fight cancer in record time.

Recently, on 23 January, the Commission launched the European Cancer Imaging Initiative to support healthcare providers, research institutes and innovators in making the best use of innovative, data-driven solutions for the treatment and care of cancer patients.

The new Council Recommendation on cancer screening, adopted in December 2022, is also a key element of the new EU-funded cancer screening scheme, which aims to offer breast, cervical and colon cancer screening bowel and rectal cancer in 90% of eligible Europeans, and its scope was extended to include lung cancer, prostate cancer and, in certain circumstances, stomach cancer.

This year, work will continue on over 30 actions.

Among the main initiatives, the Commission will present a proposal for a Council Recommendation on vaccine-preventable cancers, as well as update the 2009 Council Recommendation on smoke-free environments to increase citizens' protection from smoking and help achieve on the target of a generation of tobacco-free Europeans by 2024.

For the first submission on 1 February 2023, a total of 29 country profiles on cancer (EU27, Iceland and Norway) were prepared with the help of the OECD.

The profiles are a tool to identify disparities in cancer prevention and care.

They focus on the main achievements, challenges and differences within each country and compare the country-specific findings with the situation in the EU as a whole.

In this way, policy makers are supported and investments and interventions are targeted at regional, national and European level within the framework of the European Cancer Plan.

The European Plan to Fight Cancer is a key pillar of the European Health Union, announced by President Von der Leyen in 2020. The Plan to Fight Cancer, launched in 2021, sets out a new EU approach to cancer prevention and treatment diseases and cancer care through integrated policies, all of which take health issues into account, and a multi-stakeholder approach.

It proposes 10 flagship initiatives and multiple actions to address the entire disease cycle.

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