Cancer research is a crucial pillar for countries to deliver more affordable, higher quality, and more equitable cancer care. Patients treated in research-active hospitals have better outcomes than patients who are not treated in these settings. However, cancer in Europe is at a crossroads. Cancer was already a leading cause of premature death before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the disastrous effects of the pandemic on early diagnosis and treatment will probably set back cancer outcomes in Europe by almost a decade. Recognising the pivotal importance of research not just to mitigate the pandemic today, but to build better European cancer services and systems for patients tomorrow, the Lancet Oncology European Groundshot Commission on cancer research brings together a wide range of experts, together with detailed new data on cancer research activity across Europe during the past 12 years. We have deployed this knowledge to help inform Europe's Beating Cancer Plan and the EU Cancer Mission, and to set out an evidence-driven, patient-centred cancer research roadmap for Europe. The high-resolution cancer research data we have generated show current activities, captured through different metrics, including by region, disease burden, research domain, and effect on outcomes. We have also included granular data on research collaboration, gender of researchers, and research funding. The inclusion of granular data has facilitated the identification of areas that are perhaps overemphasised in current cancer research in Europe, while also highlighting domains that are underserved. Our detailed data emphasise the need for more information-driven and data-driven cancer research strategies and planning going forward. A particular focus must be on central and eastern Europe, because our findings emphasise the widening gap in cancer research activity, and capacity and outcomes, compared with the rest of Europe. Citizens and patients, no matter where they are, must benefit from advances in cancer research. This Commission also highlights that the narrow focus on discovery science and biopharmaceutical research in Europe needs to be widened to include such areas as prevention and early diagnosis; treatment modalities such as radiotherapy and surgery; and a larger concentration on developing a research and innovation strategy for the 20 million Europeans living beyond a cancer diagnosis. Our data highlight the important role of comprehensive cancer centres in driving the European cancer research agenda. Crucial to a functioning cancer research strategy and its translation into patient benefit is the need for a greater emphasis on health policy and systems research, including implementation science, so that the innovative technological outputs from cancer research have a clear pathway to delivery. This European cancer research Commission has identified 12 key recommendations within a call to action to reimagine cancer research and its implementation in Europe. We hope this call to action will help to achieve our ambitious 70:35 target: 70% average 10-year survival for all European cancer patients by 2035.

Amsterdam UMC Amsterdam Netherlands

Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine Brussels Belgium

Cancer Center University of Navarra Madrid Spain

Cancer Survival Group London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine London UK

Centre for Innovation in Medicine and Kol Medical Media Bucharest Romania

Champalimaud Clinical Center Champalimaud Foundation Lisbon Portugal

Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin Freie Universität Berlin Humboldt Universität zu Berlin Berlin Germany

Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health Università degli Studi di Milano Milan Italy

Department of Health Services Research and Policy London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine London UK; Institute of Cancer Policy King's College London London UK; Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust London UK

Department of Oncology University Hospital Center Split School of Medicine University of Split Split Croatia

Department of Oncology University of Turin Turin Italy; Candiolo Cancer Institute FPO IRCCS Candiolo Italy

Department of Radiation Oncology Ghent University and Ghent University Hospital Ghent Belgium

Department of Surgery Institute of Clinical Sciences Sahlgrenska Academy University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital Gothenburg Sweden

Diagnoza leukemie Prague Czech Republic

EuropaColon Slovenia Ljubljana Slovenia

European Cancer Organisation Brussels Brussels Belgium

European Cancer Organisation Brussels Brussels Belgium; Department of Nursing Cyprus University of Technology Limassol Cyprus; Department of Oncology University of Turku Turku Finland

European Cancer Organisation Patient Advisory Committee Europa Donna Istanbul Türkiye

European School of Oncology Milan Italy

Faculty of Medicine and Cancer Institute Hacettepe University Ankara Türkiye

Faculty of Medicine University of Ljubljana Ljubljana Slovenia

Faculty of Medicine Utrecht University Medical Center Utrecht Netherlands; Princess Máxima Centrum Utrecht Netherlands

Faculty of Sociology and Social Work Babeș Bolyai University Cluj Napoca Romania

Genolier Cancer Center Genolier Switzerland

Hellenic Cancer Federation Athens Greece; European Cancer Patient Coalition Brussels Belgium

Institute of Cancer Policy School of Cancer Sciences Kings College London London UK

International Agency for Cancer Research Lyon France

International Agency for Research on Cancer Lyon France

International Brain Tumour Alliance Tadworth UK; European Cancer Organisation Patient Advisory Committee Brussels Belgium

International Cancer Research Partnership International House Cardiff UK

International Neuroendocrine Cancer Alliance Boston MA USA

Lung Cancer Europe Bern Switzerland; Trinity Translational Medicine Institute Trinity College Dublin Dublin Ireland

Maria Skłodowska Curie National Research Institute of Oncology Warsaw Poland

Medical University of Gdańsk Gdańsk Poland

Melanoma Patient Network Europe Brussels Belgium

Organisation of European Cancer Institutes Brussels Belgium

Organisation of European Cancer Institutes Brussels Belgium; Institut Curie Paris France

Organisation of European Cancer Institutes Brussels Belgium; Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation Utrecht Netherlands

Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research Faculty of Medicine Health and Life Sciences Queen's University Belfast Belfast UK

Patvocates and CML Advocates Network Leukaemie Online Munich Germany

School of Healthcare Sciences Cardiff University Cardiff UK

School of Medicine University of Leeds Leeds UK

Stockholm School of Economics Stockholm Sweden

Lancet Oncol. 2023 Jan;24(1):5-6. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(22)00651-9. PubMed

Lancet Oncol. 2023 Jan;24(1):6-8. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(22)00653-2. PubMed

Lancet Oncol. 2023 Jan;24(1):8-9. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(22)00641-6. PubMed

Lancet Oncol. 2023 Jan;24(1):10-11. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(22)00746-X. PubMed

Lancet Oncol. 2023 Jan;24(1):e10. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(22)00760-4. PubMed

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