Revisiting Mission-Oriented Cancer Research to tackle the increasing burden of cancer in Europe-a policy perspective

Cancer as the second leading cause of death in Europe poses an escalating challenge that needs urgent action. Translational cancer research should be the primary focus for addressing the increasing cancer burden in Europe and counteracting the present main strategy to convert cancer to a chronic disease. From a policy perspective, the translational cancer research continuum should be strengthened. The EU Mission on Cancer (MoC), alongside Europe's Beating Cancer Plan (EBCP), should be revisited to prioritize prevention, early detection, and improved treatment with a focus on increasing cure rates and enhancing patients' quality of life, especially for those with incurable disease. The MoC should be strengthened through long-term, sustainable funding of competitively selected Comprehensive Cancer Centers (CCCs) integrating cancer care, health care dependent prevention, research, and education across Europe to ensure stewardship by problem owners. This is critical to avoid the traditional, fragmented "short-term, project-based funding" structure of the European Commission's collaborative research, which relies on many small projects dispersed across varied institutional contexts. Articulation with frontier research in Europe, supported by the European Research Council (ERC), and with critical innovations, including those sponsored by the European Innovation Council (EIC), becomes paramount. The current goal to establish around 100 CCCs is highly commendable, with each CCC and related networks targeting between 3.5 and 4 million people, following adequate accreditation procedures. In addition, the political ownership of the MoC should ensure adequate coordination/integration with the EBCP, together with appropriate engagement and responsibility on the part of national and European authorities to address policy and implementation actions. In summary, our policy analysis recommends establishing a coherent cancer research continuum to drive therapeutic innovation and strengthen prevention.