EU Cancer Mission Conference in Warsaw spotlights prevention, early screening and quality of life for cancer patients

The EU Cancer Mission Conference was held in Warsaw and online last month. It brought EU and national policymakers, leading researchers, healthcare professionals, patients, and civil society groups. They came together to advance a collective European approach to cancer research, prevention, and care. 

Organised during the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the one-day event featured high-level keynotes, patient testimonies, and five thematic panels addressing urgent challenges and opportunities in the fight against cancer. 

Joanna Drake, Deputy Director-General at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD), was in Warsaw for the event:

"I met so many people at this Conference, who are dedicated to turning hope into action in the face of cancer. The Conference also underlined how crucial it is to continue investing in research and innovation if we want to make a real difference, as well as reaffirmed the idea that Europe always stands stronger when it stands united. This is what the EU Cancer Mission is all about." 

Following opening keynotes, the day began with the first panel on health literacy and health-promoting habits, which stressed the importance of public understanding of cancer risks and prevention, as well as the role of engaging civil society. 

Subsequent sessions focused on

• inequalities in access to preventive programmes
• collaboration on primary cancer prevention strategies
• improving quality of life, palliative care, and survivorship
• a dedicated panel on CAYA (Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults)

The programme also included testimonies from a researcher and a young cancer survivor, as well as the vice-chair of the EU Cancer Mission board. These interventions underscored both the professional and human dimensions of the EU Cancer Mission. 

The conference served as a call to scale up European cooperation, stakeholder engagement, and policies to achieve the EU Cancer Mission’s goal of improving the lives of over 3 million people by 2030. 

Held in Polish and English with simultaneous interpretation, the event was livestreamed to reach a broad European audience, reinforcing the Mission’s inclusive and pan-European approach. 

Watch the recording

About the EU Cancer Mission  

The EU Cancer Mission is one of five EU Missions under Horizon Europe. It aims to improve by 2030 the lives of more than 3 million people, through prevention, cure and for those affected by cancer to live longer and better. It brings together policy makers, cancer experts, national funders, researchers, healthcare professionals, cancer patients, survivors and caregivers, and founders and philanthropies to ensure no one is left behind.   

This Mission is more than policy. It is charting a unified path, grounded in science, collaboration and innovation, to consolidate and improve how we prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, while ensuring the quality of life for those that live with and beyond cancer.   

At the heart of the Mission is a shared belief: together, we can beat cancer. 

More information

Event report