Commission recommends better cancer screening
15/05/2003 12:29
Cancer kills about one in four people in Europe. The European Commission calls on EU Member States to implement effective screening programmes for breast cancer, colon cancer and cervical cancer. It has put forward a proposal for a Council Recommendation on cancer screening that outlines best practice guidelines in early detection of these cancers. Though Europe has made good progress in reducing cancer deaths in recent years, significant differences remain between countries. Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner David Byrne stressed that many thousands of cancer deaths could be avoided each year if best practice in early detection was applied in all Member States.
Commission recommends better cancer screening
DN: IP/03/657 Date: 08/05/2003
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IP/03/657
Brussels, 8 May 2003
Commission recommends better cancer screening
Cancer kills about one in four people in Europe. The European Commission calls on EU Member States to implement effective screening programmes for breast cancer, colon cancer and cervical cancer. It has put forward a proposal for a Council Recommendation on cancer screening that outlines best practice guidelines in early detection of these cancers. Though Europe has made good progress in reducing cancer deaths in recent years, significant differences remain between countries. Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner David Byrne stressed that many thousands of cancer deaths could be avoided each year if best practice in early detection was applied in all Member States.
David Byrne said: "About 25,000 women's lives could be saved each year if best practice in screening for breast cancer were available throughout the European Union. Deaths from colon cancer and cervical cancer could also be reduced by better screening. Healthcare spending is, of course, a matter for national governments to decide on. The EU can, nonetheless, examine evidence on what works, and encourage Member States to compare healthcare strategies. I believe the Commission can build a consensus in favour of the screening programmes we propose."
Cancer in Europe
Nearly one million EU citizens die from cancer each year; it kills about one in four people in Europe. This figure represents an enormous cost, both in human terms for cancer patients and their families, and in terms of the healthcare spending on cancer. The Europe against cancer programme, established in 1985, had set a long-term goal of lowering the cancer-specific mortality of the European population by 15% by the year 2000. Even if this percentage rate could not be fully achieved, major progress has been made in reducing cancer deaths. Between 1987 and 2000 the annual cancer specific mortality in Europe fell by 10%, equating to around 92,000 lives saved. In spite of this, significant differences in cancer mortality persist amongst EU Member States. This underpins the expectation that further reductions are possible if best practice is applied uniformly in all Member States. This is why the Commission has presented its proposal on screening.
The Commission's proposal
The purpose of the Commission's proposal is to outline best practice guidelines and quality standards for screening. It recommends screening programmes based on sound science which, the Commission thinks, should be implemented by all Member States.
These are:
mammography screening for breast cancer in women aged 50-69;
faecal occult blood screening for colorectal cancer in men and women aged 50-74;
and pap smear screening for cervical abnormalities, starting between the ages of 20 and 30;
The proposal will now be debated by EU health ministers with a view to adopting a Council Recommendation. Adopting such a Recommendation would not legally oblige Member States to implement these screening programmes. However, it would establish them as a political priority. Other cancer detection tests could be added to the recommendation if there is good scientific evidence of their value in systematic cancer screening.
Further Information
The full text of the Commission's proposal can be viewed at: