Updated European Cancer Information System provides essential insights for cancer policy and research

ECIS enables users to explore geographical patterns and time trends in cancer incidence and mortality. The new figures highlight, among other findings, diverging lung cancer trends between men and women, and a decline in stomach cancer incidence over recent years. The redesigned ECIS website now offers a more user-friendly interface for exploring and extracting data.

This update enhances the ability to assess and compare the cancer burden across time and regions, and underscores the importance of timely, reliable, and standardised cancer data for evidence-based policymaking, scientific research, and public awareness. Since the last dataset update in 2018, there has been significant progress in the timeliness and coverage of data submitted by registries affiliated with the European Network of Cancer Registries (ENCR).

Through its role in the ENCR, IKNL contributed to this update by providing high-quality, standardised data from the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Dr. Otto Visser, head of the Netherlands Cancer Registry NCR, represented IKNL for many years within the ENCR and played a pivotal role in promoting and advancing the standardisation of cancer data across Europe. He was recently succeeded as ENCR co-chair by Dr. Gijs Geleijnse, advisor to the board at IKNL.

New Joint Action to improve timeliness and quality of cancer data

Many cancer registries across Europe are under increasing pressure due to funding cuts and staffing shortages. At the same time, the importance of high-quality cancer data continues to grow. With an ageing population and a rising number of people living with and beyond cancer, the need for timely insights into trends, regional differences, and the effectiveness of prevention and care is more urgent than ever. Cancer registries are essential for shaping effective cancer policy, ensuring the right care in the right place, and monitoring the impact of prevention and treatment.

The ECIS update highlights the indispensable role of cancer registries for public health in Europe. To support their long-term sustainability, the European Commission has announced a new Joint Action: Cancer Watch. This initiative, set to launch in September 2025, aims to improve the quality, timeliness, and coverage of cancer data across Europe. IKNL will be (co-)leading two work packages in Cancer Watch.