Cancer is the cause of more than 20% of all deaths in Europe, including a significant proportion of deaths under 65. Despite medical and technological advances in recent decades, more needs to be done to bring this rate down.
EU policymakers can fight cancer on three fronts: improving early detection, ensuring equitable access to innovative and personalised therapies and promoting healthy lifestyles.
Early detection saves lives
The earlier cancer is detected, the higher the chances of survival – and the lower the cost of treatment. To address this, the Council of the EU last month issued updated recommendations for screening various types of cancer for early detection. These include breast, cervical, colorectal and more recently, lung and prostate cancers.
As it stands, the implementation of these recommendations varies significantly across the bloc due to inequalities in access to healthcare between member states. Ensuring that all EU countries adopt and apply these guidelines should be a priority for European public health policy.
Screening programmes must be made accessible and free for all citizens, regardless of their location or socioeconomic status. This will make early detection a more effective tool to reduce cancer incidence and mortality.
Policymakers should also promote investment in and deployment of new technologies. For example, liquid biopsy techniques offer an earlier and less invasive way of detecting cancer.
The PANCAID project, funded by the European Commission, aims to develop a liquid biopsy for early-stage pancreatic cancer diagnosis through blood tests. With a budget of just €9.8 million until 2027 – 2% of the funds allocated to cancer research – this has the potential to greatly increase diagnoses of pancreatic cancer at a stage when it can still be treated surgically.
Another promising development comes from the Ramón y Cajal Hospital in Spain, where a team is investigating bacterial, fungal and viral signatures found in stool and tumour samples that could indicate premalignant lesions or early-stage pancreatic cancer. Detecting cancer through such simple early-stage tests would represent an invaluable advancement in the fight against this disease.
Personalised medicine
Another promising area of progress is in personalised medicine: Therapies are now on offer that can be tailored to the unique characteristics of each patient. But again, access to such treatments is unequal across the EU.
Precision medicine can be expensive and not all European countries have the necessary resources to provide these advanced options to their populations. Inequalities in access to such therapies create unacceptable disparities in health outcomes among European citizens.
The European Union must strengthen its commitment to guaranteeing that all patients have access to the same standards of care, by promoting significant public investment in healthcare infrastructure, medical staff training and improved working conditions.
The European Parliament and Commission have shown a strong commitment to fighting cancer through the European Plan to Fight Cancer (BECA). Lawmakers should keep up their efforts to implement BECA initiatives, which include improved screening programmes, promoting research into innovative therapies and reducing inequalities in treatment access.
Prevention and public awareness
While early detection and advanced treatments are crucial, prevention remains the most effective strategy to combat cancer. Public awareness campaigns about risk factors and preventive measures are vital.
European consumers deserve scientifically sound information about the risks associated with substances such as tobacco, e-cigarettes, alcohol and certain processed and ultra-processed foods.
Smoke-free public spaces have significantly reduced the incidence of lung cancer and other tobacco-related diseases and it is essential to raise awareness about the risks associated with alcohol consumption. Policymakers must ensure that citizens can make informed choices and understand the risks they face.
The same applies to processed foods high in saturated fats, sugars and additives, which are also linked to an increased risk of cancer. Educating consumers about the dangers of these products helps them make more conscious decisions. Campaigns targeting youth and broader public awareness initiatives can significantly reduce cancer cases.
The fight against cancer is a complex and ambitious challenge for European policy and it demands an equally comprehensive response. Early detection, equitable access to innovative therapies, preventive policies and a continuous commitment from European institutions to ensure the implementation of guidelines across all member states must be at the heart of any successful cancer-beating strategy.
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