O covid-19 pandemic revealed the weaknesses of health systems in the cancer treatment, as well as gaps in cancer research across Europe. “Urgent improvements are needed in these areas because otherwise progress against this disease will be delayed for nearly a decade.” This is the alert of a report prepared by a group of experts from the Oncology Commission of the journal The Lancet.
The authors emphasize that “prioritize cancer research it is essential that European countries offer more accessible, better quality and more equitable cancer care, since patients treated in hospitals with research activities have better results than those that do not”.
We saw a chilling effect on research on this disease, with labs closing and clinical trials being delayed or canceled in the first wave of the pandemic.
In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, Brexit and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is more important than ever that Europe develops a cancer research environment capable of playing a transformative role in improving prevention, diagnosis, treatment, treatment and quality of life. of patients”, says professor Mark Lawlerfrom Queen’s University Belfast, UK, and chairman and lead author of the report.
According to Lawler, “it is estimated that during the covid-19 pandemic around one million cases of cancer went undiagnosed in Europe. In addition —he adds— we have observed an inhibiting effect on research on this disease, with the closure of laboratories and the delay or cancellation of clinical trials in the first wave of the pandemic.
Effects of the pandemic, invasion of Ukraine and Brexit
Committee on Oncology The Lancet analyzed data on the impact of covid-19 across Europe and found that doctors treated between one and five million fewer cancer patients during the first year of the pandemic, and that one in two patients did not receive surgery or chemotherapy in time.
Also, 100 million cancer screening tests were missedand it is estimated that up to one million European citizens may have undiagnosed cancer due to late diagnosis.
Therefore, the report recommends speeding up the response to the indirect repercussions that the pandemic has had on cancer diagnosis and treatment. “Now more than ever, it is crucial to ensure that this area of research is properly protected and prioritized in current and future European agendas”, emphasize the authors.
The authors explain that the Russian invasion of Ukraine represents another major challenge for research in this area in Europe, as these two countries “are two of the largest contributors to clinical research on cancer in the world, especially that sponsored by industry”.
They also emphasize that “many cancer clinical trials in Ukraine include cancer centers from Central and Eastern European countries, and the conflict is likely to cause many of these large trials to be delayed or not recruit volunteers.”
An additional danger “is that the industry may find it too risky to conduct clinical cancer research in countries bordering Ukraine. The loss of private investment would be extremely detrimental to cancer research in Central and Eastern Europe.”
The report urgently calls for “gathering data on the impact of the conflict on patients, cancer services, drug and other shortages, and staff shortages, in Ukraine and neighboring countries, as well as developing a plan to mitigate the impact.” of the war in cancer research”.
The authors too predict that Brexit will continue to negatively affect research Europe on cancer. They highlight the need for funders and the European research community to mitigate the impact of Brexit and other policy challenges so that the UK can continue to engage with European partners and contribute to progress against this disease.
Gaps in research and its funding
The commission’s analysis found that the total value of the investment, excluding the private sector, was around €20-22 billion, around €26 per head. The equivalent minimum value for the US in the same period was around €76 billion (€234 per head). Given this dramatic difference in per capita spending, experts are calling for the European budget for cancer research to be doubled to €50 per capita by 2030.
The group argues that cancer prevention research, in particular, has not received the funding it deserves. Greater attention to prevention would reduce the number of people who develop it and therefore allow more resources to be made available to those who need treatment. The report calls for a new priority for prevention researchcancer screening and early detection to reduce the burden on European citizens and enable those who develop cancer to have access to more resources and the best available treatments.
Anna Schmutzof the International Agency for Research on Cancer (France) notes that “an estimated 40% of cancers in Europe could be prevented if primary prevention strategies made better use of current knowledge about cancer risk factors. evidence-based and cost-effective cancer treatments already exist 5]and we want to see more effective implementation and communication across Europe.”
Gender difference in research
Gender equity in cancer research is another crucial gap identified in the report. In this sense, it indicates that the main authors represent less than a third of cancer research in Europe.
“There is a need to investigate further the reasons why some European countries or regions have greater gender inequality in cancer research than others. We hope that strategies based on this data will improve balance,” says Professor Yolande Lievensof the University Hospital of Ghent.
The Commissioners hope that the conclusions and recommendations of this report will help the cancer research community in Europe to work towards a more equitable agenda in which all citizens and patients, regardless of their place of residence, can equally benefit from advances in this area.