European countries should battle cancer together, says EU report

European countries should get together to set up measures to complement national cancer plans, according to an EU-commissioned report.

The report, Responding to the Challenge of Cancer in Europe, was written by experts from European public health institutes, warns the incidence of the disease is set to rise. The authors recommend EU co-ordination of cancer prevention, screening and treatment measures, and setting up European centres to treat rare cancers.

They also recommend the setting up and joint financing of European research programmes, along with the development of pan-European measures to control the effects of lifestyles harmful to health; this relates particularly to alcohol consumption and smoking. The overall objective is to reduce the inequalities in health among EU citizens when it comes to cancer.

The report was ordered by Slovenia, which has placed the fight against cancer on its list of priorities for its current EU presidency.

According to data for 2006, there were some 2.3 million new cases of cancer and more than a million deaths from cancer in the 25 member states at that time. Men accounted for 55% of both new cases of cancer and deaths.

In Europe, the four most common types of cancer are breast (320,000 new cases in 2006), prostate (300,000), colorectal (300,000) and lung cancer (265,000). Taken together these cancers account for more than half total incidence.

Forecasts show there will be some 3.4 million new cases of cancer every year until 2020 - a 20% increase compared with 2002. Reflecting the ageing population, the larger part of this increase will affect people aged over 65.

The report recommends developing an exhaustive framework to control cancer and other chronic diseases in each member state and at the EU level. "A broader European frame of reference for lifestyle-related chronic diseases would be particularly useful. This might bring together the European Code Against Cancer, the Framework Convention of Tobacco Control and the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health," it says.

While the authors consider medicinal products are becoming more and more important in cancer care, they are just one "component" in a range of possibilities. Drugs should be integrated within a sophisticated care pathway covering awareness-raising, prevention, diagnosis and intensive care.

"Compared with other modalities of treatment and care, such as early detection, radiotherapy and palliative care, the prioritisation of drugs is exaggerated by high-cost public relations activities from the pharmaceutical industry," the report claims.

According to the authors, the pharmaceutical industry will "continue to overemphasise the benefits of drug-based treatments and will use increasingly sophisticated public relations techniques to promote its products. This activity needs to be transparent and not achieved by covert funding of patient advocacy groups."