22/04/2026
Yesterday, at the EFPIA's conference โ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆโ๐ด ๐๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ช๐ค๐ฆ: ๐๐ฏ๐ท๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ต๐ฉ ๐๐บ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ดโ, our Policy Officer, Filip Karan, opened the panel discussion on the importance of preventing and detecting cancer early.
He highlighted a simple but critical point: we already know that prevention and early detection save lives, reduce costs and improve quality of life. In colorectal cancer, survival drops from around 90% at the early stage to just 10% at the late stage. So why are we still getting it wrong?
๐ฌ During the discussion that followed, Filip pointed out that prevention is often harder to prioritise politically. Not because it is less important, but because its impact is less visible and takes a longer time to measure. As a result, it too often loses out to more immediate, reactive approaches.
He also stressed that:
- Screening programmes must actually work in practice and not just exist on paper
- Health literacy and trust are essential as people need to understand why screening matters and feel confident engaging with it
- Early detection only delivers value if it is followed by timely diagnosis and access to treatment
If we are serious about beating cancer from the start, we must build systems that are organised, accessible, and trusted, and that deliver results for patients in every Member State.
fans European Cancer Organisation EU Can Beat Cancer
