Brussels, 09/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - In conclusions due to be adopted in Luxembourg on Tuesday 10 June, the Council of health ministers is expected to express its satisfaction with the conference “The Burden of Cancer - How can it be reduced” on 7 and 8 February 2008 in Brdo, Slovenia. This highlighted the need for comprehensive strategies to prevent and combat cancer and to reduce the burden of the disease and reduce the differences both between member states and at national level in terms of prevention, early detection, treatment, rehabilitation, palliative care and research in order to manage cancer successfully. To achieve the best possible results, there should be a comprehensive inter-disciplinary patient-based approach, with high quality psycho-social care as part of the normal treatment of cancer, rehabilitation and follow-up after treatment for all patients.
The Council will call on member states to: - draw up and implement comprehensive strategies or plans against cancer; - continue to draw up and implement prevention and health promoting measures to reduce people's exposure to the main risk factors (such as tobacco, unhealthy eating, lack of physical exercise and harmful and excessive consumption of alcohol), reduce exposure through one's profession, the environment or food to carcinogenic agents and promote food safety; - within cancer prevention activities, assess what is offered by other preventive measures to combat infectious agents that could cause cancer, such as the high risk human papillomaviruses (these measures to be added to national screening programmes), hepatitis B and Helicobacter Pylori, while being aware that the results of this assessment could vary depending on the specific situation of each country. The Commission is called on to: - facilitate joint learning and exchange of information on combating cancer and encourage the setting up of European reference networks, particularly with regard to rare cancers and those which affect children; - facilitate the drawing up and updating of cancer guidelines (breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer), based on convincing data and with sound quality assurance; these guidelines should be made available online and/or published in the official languages of the EU; - continue to support the networking of cancer registers, which would provide data on the incidence of cancer, mortality, prevalence and survival rates, at European level.
One European in three will be afflicted by cancer in his/her lifetime. This has considerable social and economic repercussions. According to the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in 2006, around 3.2 million cases of cancer were diagnosed and 1.7 million people died of cancer in Europe. The most common types of cancer are breast cancer, colorectal cancer and lung cancer. Among women, breast cancer is responsible for the greatest number of deaths. Lung cancer is the one which causes the greatest number of deaths. (O.J./transl. rt)