Report of the Mission Board for Cancer presented to the European Commission

The report of the Mission Board for Cancer was presented to the European Commission on 22 September, during the European Research and Innovation Days. Dr Elisabete Weiderpass, Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), is an expert member of the Mission Board for Cancer and played a vital role in finalizing this Mission outline, which sets out the goal of the Mission on Cancer and makes recommendations on how to achieve this goal.

The outline for the proposed mission, Conquering Cancer: Mission Possible, focuses on five areas in which effective interventions are needed. One of these, the initiative to gain a more thorough understanding of cancers, including causal factors and mechanisms and their impact on cancer, will serve as a basis for the other four intervention areas: cancer prevention; diagnostics and treatment of cancer; quality of life of patients, survivors, families, and carers; and equitable access to these services across Europe. The interventions also include provisions to protect workers from exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace.

Through these interventions, the Mission on Cancer aims to save more than 3 million lives by 2030 and to enable those affected by cancer to live longer and better lives. The Mission outline will be used as a basis for further stakeholder and citizen engagement activities during the rest of 2020, and to define a broad strategy for the Horizon Europe Framework Programme. Synergies will be developed with other European Union policies and actions, in particular Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan.

Read the Report of the Mission Board for Cancer

Read about the European Union Mission proposals