ECIS contributing initiatives and studies

The ECIS web application displays the national estimates of cancer incidence and mortality for the major cancer types for the year 2022 in the EU-27 Member States, as well as in all the other European countries, as defined by the United Nations Definition of Regions, with the exclusion of Russian Federation and Belarus. This is in compliance with the EU position about suspension of the scientific cooperation with the Russian Federation. These estimates are the joint outcome of a collaborative exercise of the JRC with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in collaboration with the ENCR and the International Association of Cancer Registries. Estimates are based on the historical cancer incidence data supplied by the cancer registries and on the administrative data on cancer mortality.

The incidence estimates in 2022 for the EU-27 countries are based on the data from the cancer registries participating in the data call of IARC's Cancer Incidence in Five Continents series volume XII. The mortality data was extracted from WHO mortality database unless otherwise specified.

The list of cancer sites and corresponding definitions used in the estimates 2022 is available here.

A standard methodology was applied to bridge a potential lack of data in the estimation of comparable cancer burden indicators across cancer sites and countries. The process applied in the previous exercise of estimates calculation for the year 2020 has been published [a]; description of the revised methodology for the year 2022 is available here.

The estimates reported in the ECIS web application may differ from those provided by national bodies because of possible differences in methodology and data sources. They have been computed from the recorded data provided by the cancer registries and administrative sources. The values should be interpreted with caution, as they are the result of an estimation process and do not correspond to any recorded value. It has to be noted that the variations of estimates across countries is influenced by a number of factors, including different levels of primary prevention and care, population-based screening, data registration coverage as well as the methods used for estimation.

The ECIS web application displays the long-term estimates of incidence and mortality in EU and EFTA countries for the years 2025, 2030, 2035 and 2040. The long-term estimates are based on the projected 2022 incidence and mortality rates and on the projected populations up to year 2040 from EUROSTAT. The projected populations are available for EU and EFTA countries and for six different demographic scenarios covering possible fertility, mortality and migration developments:

• Lower fertility - fertility rates 20% lower
• Lower mortality - life expectancy at birth +2 years by 2070
• Lower migration - net migration -33%
• Higher migration - net migration +33%
• No migration - net migration set to 0.

The long-term estimates are computed to evaluate the impact of population ageing in these European countries, under the assumption that 2022 cancer incidence and mortality levels remain constant in the coming decades.

The list of cancer entities and corresponding definitions used in the long-term estimates is the same as those defined for 2022 estimates, available here.

The long-term estimates should be interpreted with caution. They assume that estimated 2022 rates remain stable up to 2040, thus reflecting only changes in population. This assumption is likely not to be realistic as incidence and mortality rates are strongly affected by factors evolving in time, such as prevalence and distribution of cancer risk factors, establishment of cancer control plans, implementation of screening programs and others. For such reason, long-term estimates express only the strong impact of population ageing on the cancer burden in these European countries in the next decades.

The ECIS data calls aim at collecting data from European population-based cancer registries, in order to compute and disseminate indicators for assessing and monitoring the burden of cancer in Europe. The outputs of the project consist of cancer incidence and mortality indicators, including specific analyses by cancer site, sex, age group, calendar period, and geographic area.

In the 2015 ENCR-JRC data call 149 population-based cancer registries from 34 European countries contributed with data to ECIS.

In 2022, a second data call was launched.

The indicators, published in the ECIS web application, are produced in collaboration with the cancer registries and their representative body – the ENCR Steering Committee.

The list of cancer registries contributing to the ECIS and the corresponding incidence and mortality time period is available here.

The list of cancer entities and corresponding definitions used in the ENCR-JRC call for data is available here.

The 2015 ENCR-JRC data call aimed to collect data, compute and disseminate indicators for assessing and monitoring the burden of cancer in Europe. As a specific focus, the cancer burden on childhood population is also analysed according to the International Classification of Childhood Cancer (ICCC). The cancer incidence indicators are analysed by diagnostic group, age group, calendar period, and geographic area.

A total of 107 all-ages and 6 childhood-specific cancer registries from 30 European countries responded to the call for data and were included.

The incidence indicators, published in the ECIS web application, are produced in collaboration with the cancer registries and their representative body – the ENCR Steering Committee.

The list of cancer registries contributing to the ECIS and the corresponding incidence time period is available here.

The list of diagnostic groups based on ICCC used is available here here.

EUROCARE (EUROpean CAncer REgistry based study on survival and care of cancer patients) is the widest collaborative research project on population-based cancer survival and prevalence in Europe.

Aims of the study are to provide an updated description of cancer survival time trends and differences across European countries, to measure cancer prevalence and to study patterns of care of cancer patients.

Overall, the EUROCARE-6 study includes data on about 28 million cancer diagnoses provided by 117 Cancer Registries in 31 European countries.

The list of EUROCARE-6 study papers published since 2022 is available here.

Prevalence (EUROCARE-6)

The EUROCARE-6 study reporting on cancer prevalence in Europe to 2020 has been published in 2024 [b]. The list of cancer registries participating in the prevalence study is available here.

The list of cancer sites and corresponding definitions used in the EUROCARE-6 prevalence study is available here. A description of data and methods used for prevalence estimations is available here.

Survival (EUROCARE-5)

The latest published edition of the EUROCARE-5 survival study includes data on more than 21 million cancer diagnoses provided by 99 Cancer Registries in 26 European countries [c].

The EUROCARE-5 results were published in 2015 on the European Journal of Cancer and are available here.

The list of cancer registries participating in the EUROCARE-5 survival study is available here.

The list of cancer sites and corresponding definitions used in the EUROCARE-5 survival study is available here.

[a] Dyba T, Randi G, Bray F, Martos C, Giusti F, Nicholson N, Gavin A, Flego M, Neamtiu L, Dimitrova N, Negrão Carvalho R, Ferlay J, Bettio M. The European cancer burden in 2020: Incidence and mortality estimates for 40 countries and 25 major cancers. Eur J Cancer. 2021 Nov;157:308-347 (Paper).

[b] De Angelis R, Demuru E, Baili P, Troussard X, Katalinic A, Chirlaque Lopez MD, Innos K, Santaquilani M, Blum M, Ventura L, Paapsi K, Galasso R, Guevara M, Randi G, Bettio M, Botta L, Guzzinati S, Dal Maso L, Rossi S, on behalf of the EUROCARE-6 Working Group. Complete cancer prevalence in Europe 2020 by disease duration and country (EUROCARE-6): a population-based study. Lancet Oncol 2024. 
Accepted manuscript, supplementary material.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(23)00646-0

[c] De Angelis R.; Sant M.; Coleman M.P.; Francisci S.; Baili P.; Pierannunzio D.; Trama A.; Visser O.; Brenner H.; Ardanaz E.; the EUROCARE-5 Working Group.; et al. Cancer survival in Europe 1999-2007 by country and age: results of EUROCARE-5-a population-based study Lancet Oncology 2014,15:23-34.