This year has already been excellent for SIOPE’s policy projects publication track record. Alongside OCEAN, the results of the SIOPE National Cancer Control (NCCP) project have been published. The NCCP project mapped, analyzed, and provided an overview of the childhood cancer content of NCCPs across Europe. The goal was also to underpin advocacy so that each NCCP has a comprehensive childhood cancer section. An important milestone, the paper summarizing the results, entitled “Do national cancer control plans address care and research for children, adolescents, and young adults?”, was written in collaboration with the Institute of Biomedical Research of Bellvitge (IDIBELL) and published on the prestigious Lancet Regional Health – Europe journal.
This research takes a critical look at the National Cancer Control Plans (NCCPs) of 41 European countries, assessing how well they address the specific needs of children, adolescents, and young adults (CAYAs) with cancer.
The study highlights differences in these national frameworks, revealing that many still do not fully integrate policies addressing specialized care and research for young cancer patients. Aligning NCCPs with the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, with its Spotlight section on Childhood Cancer, is an important orientation for bridging these disparities.
This publication summarizes the NCCP project results and provides recommendations for stronger policies and dedicated infrastructures to support CAYAs with cancer.
Access the full paper here.