Beating Cancer through prevention: A call for action on vaccine-preventable cancers across Europe

This hybrid event will bring together policymakers and key EU and national stakeholders to discuss how to increase awareness of the inclusion of vaccine-preventable cancers in the BECA report and the EBCP implementation roadmap in all Member States.

The burden of cancer in the EU is high and rising. Cancer causes 1 in 4 deaths and is the second leading cause of death, illness, and disability in many EU countries. Approximately 13% of cancers diagnosed globally in 2018 were attributed to carcinogenic infections, such as viruses and bacteria. In Europe, there are about 53,000 new cervical cancer cases annually that are attributed to HPV infection and there are estimates of more than 60,000 deaths annually due to liver cancer, of which Hepatitis B is a risk factor. Both infections can be prevented by vaccines.

On 25 October 2022, 16:00-17:30 CET, Vaccines Europe will host “Beating Cancer through prevention: A call for action on vaccine-preventable cancers across Europe”. This hybrid event will bring together policymakers and key EU and national stakeholders to discuss how to increase awareness of the inclusion of vaccine-preventable cancers in the BECA report and the EBCP implementation roadmap in all Member States.

The event aims to gather leading stakeholders to:

Increase awareness and trigger actions at Member states level, such as expanding recommendations for HPV/HBV vaccines coverage and encourage Member States to update their National Cancer Control Plans with clear Vaccine Coverage Rate (VCR) goals on HPV and Hep B prevention.
Explore ways to develop strategies to reflect the Europe Beating Cancer Plan’s objectives, targets as part of the roadmaps towards HPV and HBV elimination.
Incentivise Member States to make use of all available EU funding instruments to implement actions, especially for vaccine-preventable cancers.