IARC hosts European Union Cancer Mission meeting

Scientists at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) will host the annual meeting of the “Understanding Cancer” cluster of projects of the European Union Cancer Mission on 15 October in Lyon, France.

IARC is hosting the meeting in its capacity as the coordinator of the Discovering the Causes of Three Poorly Understood Cancers in Europe (DISCERN) project, which is one of the initiatives that make up the “Understanding Cancer” cluster of projects. These projects have common deliverables in areas such as citizen engagement in cancer research and communication with the general population.

The DISCERN team is leading the citizen engagement aspect of the cluster and will organize exchanges with citizens, including patients with cancer, to ensure that their views are represented when implementing future health-care policies.

Once a year, representatives of all the projects in the cluster meet to discuss best practices in promoting better understanding of the impact of risk factors and health determinants on the development and progression of cancer. The projects are funded by the European Commission through the Horizon Europe programme.

In addition to DISCERN, which focuses on renal, pancreatic, and colorectal cancer, the cluster includes (i) GENIAL: Understanding gene–environment interaction in alcohol-related hepatocellular carcinoma; (ii) LUCIA: Understanding lung cancer-related risk factors and their impact; (iii) ELMUMY: Elucidation of risk factors and health determinants associated with progression of monoclonal gammopathies to multiple myeloma; and (iv) MELCAYA: Novel health-care strategies for melanoma in children, adolescents, and young adults.

Visit the website of the DISCERN project