ESMO joins WHO global clinical trials forum to strengthen global oncology research ecosystems

 Earlier this month (June 5, 2026), the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) joined the World Health Organization's Global Clinical Trials Forum, "reinforcing its long-standing collaboration...to advancing more equitable, high-quality clinical research worldwide." This new partnership further strengthens the mission of ESMO to provide equal access to best possible treatments for cancer patients worldwide. 

Click here to read more. 

European parliament adopts its position on the Critical Medicines Act, strengthening security of cancer care in Europe

 The European Parliament recently adopted first-reading of the Critical Medicines Act, expanding "collaborative procurement and solidarity mechanisms, explicitly acknowledging their relevance to specialized treatments, including in oncology."  Now entering interinstitutional negotiations, the Critical Medicines Act ensures that continuity of care for cancer patients will remain a key focus area for European Union health policy. 

To read more about the Critical Medicines Act, click here. 

ESMO campaigns against the use of ‘Low-Alcohol’ labelling in response to council agreement on EU’s wine package

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in partnership with the European Alliance on Alcohol (EHAA) has issued a statement against the use of the phrase 'low alcohol' "for beverages containing more than 1.2% ABC and for transparent information on the health risks of consuming alcohol."   Alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing at least 7 types of cancer, leading the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifying alcohol as a group one carcinogen. 

To read the complete position statement, click here. 

ESMO urges EU policymakers to protect the wellbeing of the oncology workforce

 The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) has produced a new health workforce crisis plan, stressing "the urgent need for dedicated legislation, strategies, and resources to safeguard the sustainability of the oncology workforce."  Proposed measures to alleviate burnout, a leading work-related psychosocial risk, includes adequate staffing levels, greater control over workload, flexible hours, reduced overtime, sufficient leave entitlement, enhanced career development, job security, training opportunities, and long-term workforce retention strategies. 

Click here to read the full workforce crisis plan. 

ESMO joins the European Health Alliance on Alcohol (EHAA) to reduce preventable cancer cases linked to alcohol use

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) has joined the European Health Alliance on Alcohol (EHAA).  Classified as a group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), consumption of alcohol has been linked to liver, breast, mouth, and colorectal cancer.  As a result of joining the alliance, ESMO will collaborate with EHAA "on devising and promoting evidence-based alcohol policies aimed at preventing cancer." 

Click here to read more about the European Health Alliance on Alcohol. 

ESMO calls for oncology-specific safeguards in EU joint clinical assessments of medical and in vitro diagnostic devices in the new EU public consultation

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) has compiled a detailed response to the European Commission's public consultation draft regarding Implementing Regulation for Joint Clinical Assessments of medical and in vitro diagnostic devices.  The 4 key strategic priorities noted in the framework include systematic inclusion of oncology expertise, structured stakeholder involvement, proportional and feasible evidence requirements, and clear and consistent guidance on comparators and outcomes. 

To learn more and read the full submission, click here. 

WHO Europe factsheet: policy action needed to reduce cancers attributable to alcohol use

 A new factsheet released by the World Health Organization (WHO) focused on the need for greater awareness regarding alcohol use and cancers, specifically breast and colorectal.  The fact sheet states that alcohol consumption was responsible for 180 000 cancer cases and 92 000 deaths in Europe in 2018.  Several coat-effective policies, "such as increasing taxes on alcoholic beverages and restricting marketing and availability of alcohol" are suggested  as policies that can be implemented to curb this disturbing trend. 

To learn more about this factsheet, click here. 

American Cancer Society updates position on electronic cigarettes

The American Cancer Society has revised its position statement on electronic cigarettes, due to increases in e-cigarette use among children, teens, and young adults.  The 3 revised statements in the position statement include:

• No youth or young adult should begin using any tobacco product, including e-cigarettes 
• E-cigarettes should not be used to quit smoking 
• E-Cigarette users should not also smoke cigarettes or switch to smoking cigarettes, and former smokers now using e-cigarettes should not revert to smoking 

To read the completed, revised position statement, click here. 

2018 World Cancer Congress report

The World Cancer Congress has released a summary report of proceedings that took place from October 1-4, 2018 in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia.  The top 5 congress highlights consisted of networking and creating collaborations, sharing best practices, big debates, creating a global village, and meeting experts. 


To access the summary report, click here.

World Cancer Day 2017 Impact Report

The World Cancer Day 2017 Impact Report has now been released.  This document focuses on the activities that took place in more than 100 countries on February 4, 2017, focusing on government actions, municipalities, businesses, communities, and individuals with regards to the impact of cancer.

Click here to read the report.

Monitoring the response of bone metastases to treatment using MRI and PET

Imaging technologies are crucial in evaluating a patient’s response to cancer treatment in daily oncology practice. This can be done quite effectively for most tumours using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (RECIST). However, RECIST criteria work well for tumours located in visceral organs or soft tissues (assessed by computed tomography), but not so well for bone metastases which are frequently present, especially in prostate and breast cancers. More effort, therefore, is needed to improve understanding of how to monitor the response of bone metastases to treatment using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), and a recent European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Imaging Group review and position statement published in the European Journal of Cancer is a decidedly welcome contribution. Read more here.

Basic cancer research: why is it essential for the success of personalised cancer therapy?

Professors Carlos Caldas and Yosef Yarden recently wrote a position paper on the behalf of the EACR, which was published in the European Journal of Cancer (EJC). It describes the "irreplaceable leading role" of basic research in the future of cancer therapy, and how allocating resources to basic studies could be the key to unlocking new achievements in personalised treatment.

Click here to read the 2-page position paper (reprinted in the 2014 EACR Yearbook)

Click here to view the Pubmed listing for the article

Aspirin and cancer prevention: what the research really shows

Studies have found that regular aspirin use may help prevent certain types of cancers – and it also may keep cancer from spreading once it has been diagnosed. Although much research on the topic has been done, the evidence still isn’t clear enough to show that the potential benefits of regular aspirin use with respect to cancer prevention outweigh the possible harmful side effects. In this interview, American Cancer Society researcher, Eric J. Jacobs, Ph.D., provides insights into what the studies to date really show when it comes to aspirin and cancer prevention, and discusses what other research is still needed. Read the interview here.

CMA says no to e-cigarettes

The CMA has taken a strong stand against the sale of electronic cigarettes by endorsing a series of recommendations from its Committee on Health Care and Promotion. Currently, e-cigarettes are not regulated or approved for sale in Canada. The recommendations approved by the CMA Board state: in the absence of "solid evidence" of harms or benefits, the sale of e-cigarettes containing nicotine should not be allowed; there should be a ban on the sale of e-cigarettes to minors (some e-cigarettes contain no nicotine); there should be ongoing research into the potential harms and benefits of e-cigarettes. Read more here.

Prostate cancer screenings offer limited benefits and ‘substantial harms,’ says doctors group

The American College of Physicians (ACP) became the latest group to ask doctors to be clear about the limited benefits and “substantial harms” of prostate cancer screening before offering their male patients a prostate-specific antigen test. The ACP’s guidance statement, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, also explicitly recommends against screening men younger than 50, older than 69 or with less than 10 to 15 years to live. Read more here.

Study mentioned: Qaseem A, et al. Screening for Prostate Cancer: A Guidance Statement From the Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. Published online first 9 April 2013.

Age 25 is too late to start testing for cervical cancer, say Canadian ob-gyn groups

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada and two related medical organizations are taking issue with a national task force's recommendations that women wait until age 25 to start cervical cancer screening. In a newly released position paper, the SOGC, the Society of Gynecologic Oncology and the Society of Canadian Colposcopists say age 25 is too late to begin Pap testing because precancerous and cancerous lesions may have developed earlier in some women. Read more here.

Read the position statement here.

NCI director Varmus addresses obstacles to cancer research

National Cancer Institute (NCI) director Harold Varmus described the current state of cancer research and identified obstacles to cancer research during remarks at the National Press Club on Tuesday, September 25. Watch the video here.

Cancer Cancer Society Drug Action Plan

The Canadian Cancer Society has developed a Drug Shortage Action Plan to address cancer medication shortages. The key recommendation is as follows:

"There must be one agency - Health Canada responsible for:

- overseeing efforts to prevent drug shortages

- providing leadership and coordinating a response when shortages occur

- providing regular, substantiated clear updates to Canadians on these ongoing efforts

To read more about this action plan, including the Canadian Cancer Society's position, click here.

Canadian Medical Association speech

In a speech to the Economic Club of Ottawa, CMA President John Haggie discussed the impact of issues such as income and housing have on Canadians' well-being. "If you are in the bottom 10 percentile of income in this country, your disease-free life expectancy at birth - the period you can expect to live before developing chronic disease - is 52 years. The Canadian average is 68 years, and if you are in the top 10 percent in terms of family income, your average disease-free life expectancy at birth is 78 years." Read the full speech here.

NCCS applauds the Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act

The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) commends the Supreme Court for affirming the constitutionality of the primary provisions of the Affordable Care Act. “Many cancer survivors struggle to get timely, high-quality care that they can afford, and the Affordable Care Act will help them obtain the insurance and the care they need,” said Mike Kappel, NCCS Acting CEO. Read the full press release here.