The CONCORD programme for the global surveillance of cancer survival held a special symposium on the impact of real-world data on cancer control at the annual conference of the European Society of Medical Oncology in Munich in October 2018.

The symposium showcased recent results on worldwide trends in cancer survival, with some encouraging changes, but wide and persistent inequalities.

It emphasised the importance of providing cancer patients and their families with reliable information, especially in low- and middle-income countries, to address widely prevalent myths and fears about cancer.

OECD showed how cancer survival trends from the CONCORD programme are being used to improve national strategies for cancer control around the world.

Also covered was the need for cost-effective deployment of the economic resources required for cancer control: this is because the growing cancer burden in low- and middle-income countries will need to be managed with very limited resources for the foreseeable future.

You can access the Lancet publication of CONCORD-3 (2018) here, OECD’s Health at a Glance 2017 here, and a summary of the ESMO symposium here, including coverage of the universal right to health. 

Photo credit: Cancer Survival Group, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Reference: Allemani C, Cowal S, Klazinga N, Sullivan R, Montel L, Coleman MP, eds. Global surveillance of cancer survival: the impact of real-world data on cancer control. Cancer Survival Group, LSHTM, London, 2018.