WHO Classification of Tumours programme awarded large grant to improve classification and evidence base

A new project titled Mapping the Evidence for the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Tumours: a Living Evidence Gap Map by Tumour Type (WCT EVI MAP), led by researchers of the WHO Classification of Tumours programme at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), has received a grant of €3.5 million from the European Commission. This 4-year project, which will be undertaken in collaboration with six other international institutions, was launched on 1 July 2022.

The principal aim of the WCT EVI MAP project is to optimize cancer diagnosis research by mapping the needs identified by the WHO Classification of Tumours using an evidence-based approach. This will be of enormous value to those involved in cancer diagnosis and cancer research, and to those funding research. The main deliverable will be an overview of the existing evidence for the WHO Classification of Tumours series (also known as the WHO Blue Books), with an emphasis on mapping existing evidence gaps and identifying pockets of low-level evidence, as well as relevant evidence synthesis and continuous updating. There will be multiple publications over the next 4 years.

The WHO Classification of Tumours series underpins cancer diagnosis, and hence the treatment and care of individual patients with cancer, as well as research into cancer epidemiology, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Editorial decisions for such a global reference tool are sometimes hindered by a lack of high-quality evidence. The researchers aim to map the evidence base of the WHO Classification of Tumours to facilitate evidence-based decision-making in future editions of the series, and to promote the application of higher research standards in the field.

Read more about the WCT EVI MAP project 

Read more about the WHO Classification of Tumours series