IARC scientists present EU-CanIneq progress at the 15th Thematic Working Group meeting on the European Cancer Inequalities Registry

Scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) participated in the 15th Thematic Working Group meeting on the European Cancer Inequalities Registry (ECIR), held on 12 November 2025 in Luxembourg. The meeting was attended by scientists and representatives from the European Union (EU), the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission (DG SANTE), EU Member States, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and supported dialogue with these parties to inform evidence-based policies to reduce cancer inequalities.

IARC scientists Dr Salvatore Vaccarella and Dr Valentina Lorenzoni shared findings, methodological reports, and next steps from the Mapping Socioeconomic Inequalities in Cancer Mortality across European Countries (EU-CanIneq) project, which assesses socioeconomic inequalities in cancer mortality across the 27 EU countries plus Iceland and Norway. These findings show substantial differences in cancer mortality by education level, with higher rates among individuals with lower education, varying across countries, sexes, and cancer types.

Socioeconomic inequalities in cancer affect populations across Europe, influencing both mortality and the overall burden of cancer. Through EU-CanIneq and its role in the ECIR, IARC provides scientific expertise to monitor and interpret these inequalities, helping to guide equitable cancer prevention, policy, and care across EU Member States.

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