ESMO Engages with Upcoming Polish EU Presidency to Advance Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) has reached out to Poland’s Permanent Representation to the EU, ahead of its assumption of  the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in January 2025, to highlight key opportunities for the Presidency to champion critical initiatives supporting Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan (BCP).

With cancer burden projections indicating over 5.48 million new cancer cases annually in Europe by 2045, and cancer-related deaths in Poland estimated to rise to over 151,000 by 2040, the letter outlines several legislative and policy priorities that align with the goals of the BCP, including:

• Strengthening the oncology workforce: Addressing shortages and enhancing retention, training, and wellbeing of oncology professionals.
• Critical Medicines Act: Prioritizing equitable access to critical cancer treatments across Europe.
• 10th EU Framework Programme (FP10): Advocating for a robust budget and a research agenda focused on rare cancers, personalized therapies, and AI for clinical decision-making.
• Tobacco control: Pushing for accelerated revisions of the EU tobacco legislation to achieve a tobacco-free generation by 2040.
• In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices Regulation (IVDR): Calling for accelerated legislative adjustments to mitigate existential threats to oncological research and clinical trials in Europe.

For more details on ESMO’s recommendations and the full letter, click here.