Europe has long been a powerhouse of cancer science.

Yet its share of the world’s oncology trials has fallen from 41% in 2008 to 21% in 2023.

That warning runs through a new report from the European Cancer Organisation (ECO): Seizing the Moment: Europe as a Global Leader in Cancer Science and Care.

Its message is not one of decline, but one of opportunity.

Europe still has the renowned cancer researchers, hospitals and scientific societies to lead the world.

What it lacks is a strategy to turn that strength into results for patients.

It points to fields where Europe could set the global pace with support from EU industrial and competitiveness policy.

Among them: radioligand therapy, which delivers radiation directly to cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue; digital pathology, the scanning and computer analysis of tissue samples; and new technologies for cancer screening and diagnostics.

To seize the lead, ECO sets out a clear plan:

• Put oncology innovation at the centre of Europe's competitiveness strategy. An EU Strategy for Cancer Research, Development and Implementation could remove barriers holding back Europe’s full oncology science strength.
• Continue Europe's Beating Cancer Plan and the EU Cancer Mission. Working together, they can further combine and coordinate Europe's cancer science.
• Fix the regulations clinicians, patients and researchers have been complaining about for so long. The report names diverse interpretations of GDPR, areas for improvement with the In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR), and the Clinical Trials Regulation, as well as lesser-known opportunities such as shaping a Professional Qualifications Directive more friendly to new and emergent scientific specialisms.
• Cut fragmentation and speed up adoption. Act vigorously to streamline administrative and regulatory processes- to help new treatments and technologies reach patients across member states much sooner.

The report welcomes recent steps by the European Commission to modernise the rules, including the updated General Pharmaceutical Legislation and the proposed EU Biotech Act, now under legislative scrutiny.

It also notes that the EU's funding architecture will change significantly in the 2028–34 budget period, with more spending steered towards preserving Europe’s economic competitiveness.

Within this rush to new priorities, the gains for patient care made by Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the EU Research Mission on Cancer must not be lost, but rather, built upon and strengthened.

‘Europe has the science to lead the world in cancer care,’ says Isabel Rubio, President of the European Cancer Organisation.

‘What it has lacked is the strategy to match it. Put cancer innovation at the heart of Europe's competitiveness agenda and turn scientific excellence into better outcomes for cancer patients in every member state. 

ECO urges the European Commission and EU member states to weigh these recommendations as they shape the new European competitiveness agenda.

Source: ECO