The cancer situation in Europe is becoming clearer – Finland is involved in wide-ranging collaboration
Cancer is one of Europe’s major public health challenges, but statistics vary widely between countries. Accurate and comparable data are essential for monitoring the cancer burden.
Up-to-date information is also important for evaluating cancer prevention, early detection and treatments, as well as for identifying inequalities.
The quality and coverage of cancer data vary between countries, and in some regions, data are published with delays of more than two years. A new CancerWatch project improves the quality, comparability and timeliness of cancer data. The Finnish participants are the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and the Finnish Cancer Registry.
“CancerWatch is an important step in managing Europe's cancer burden. It brings together national cancer registries, public health institutes, research organisations and health ministries to strengthen Europe's cancer data system," says Research Professor Mika Gissler from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.
Participation also develops domestic cancer surveillance
The Finnish Cancer Registry is participating in the project together with THL. The Cancer Registry acts as an expert body tasked to improve the transfer of anonymous cancer data to the European cancer data system. The emphasis is on improving measurement methods for assessing the survival of cancer patients and the prevalence of cancers in the population.
The Cancer Registry is one of THL's national registers. It also functions as a statistical and epidemiological research institute for cancer diseases.
“CancerWatch opens up new opportunities for us to develop the Cancer Registry’s data production and better serve target groups. This way we can respond even better to decision-makers' needs,” explains Janne Pitkäniemi, the Director of the Finnish Cancer Registry.
The extensive European CancerWatch project is being launched today. The project aims to improve the quality, comparability and timeliness of population-based cancer registry data throughout Europe. It involves 92 organisations from 29 countries.
Further information
Mika Gissler
Research Professor
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
Tel. 029 524 7279
[email protected]
Janne Pitkäniemi
Director
Finnish Cancer Registry
Tel. 050 372 3335
[email protected]
