Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the European Union (EU), and millions of people get a cancer diagnosis every year. In response, the European Commission (EC) has been launching several initiatives to reduce the burden of cancer. Recent initiatives - such as the EC Europe's Beating Cancer Plan (2020) and the European Parliament's resolution on Strengthening Europe in the Fight Against Cancer (2022) - have reaffirmed the commitment to reducing cancer incidence and improving cancer care. The evaluation of measures implemented in different countries require reliable and comparable data on cancer incidence, mortality, survival, and prevalence data.
In order to quantify the burden of cancer across European countries, the EC Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) have worked together since 2012 to develop the European Cancer Information System (ECIS), as a web application building on the expertise of population-based cancer registries affiliated to the European Network of Cancer Registries (ENCR) and other key stakeholders to provide a comprehensive understanding of cancer in Europe.
The main goals of ECIS include:
- monitoring the cancer burden across European regions and identify trends over time;
- assessing the magnitude of the cancer burden and predict its future evolution;
- evaluating the impact of health policies aimed at reducing the overall cancer burden;
- establishing a reference base for cancer epidemiological research establishing a reference base for cancer epidemiological research and identification of areas for further study;
- offering insights into the causes of cancer and best practices for prevention, treatment, and control;
- providing educational resources to the general public about cancer trends and variations in different populations.
ECIS provides a centralized web application for cancer data visualization, featuring several studies: incidence and mortality estimates, long-term incidence and mortality estimates, historical incidence and mortality, historical childhood incidence, survival estimates, and prevalence estimates.
ECIS supports researchers, policymakers, and the general public in their efforts to understand and combat cancer. With accurate and comparable data, we can work together to reduce the burden of cancer and improve the lives of those affected by the disease.