More Europeans are living beyond cancer, but access to innovative care remains uneven

More people in Europe are living longer after a cancer diagnosis. Between 2010 and 2020, the number alive more than five years after being diagnosed rose 41 percent, to nearly 15 million. The topic is the focus of a sponsored podcast episode from POLITICO Europe, produced by POLITICO Studio and paid for by pharmaceutical company Pfizer.

Cancer as a chronic condition

Precision oncology and digitally enabled cancer care are changing what it means to live with the disease. As the science advances, a growing number of advanced cancers could be managed as chronic conditions, much like diabetes or hypertension.

Uneven access

Many patients can reach innovative treatments only by taking part in a clinical trial. Meanwhile, Europe's share of global commercial trials has almost halved over ten years. Access to screening and advanced diagnostics also differs widely across the European Union.

What the episode covers

In the first of two special episodes, experts in oncology, clinical research and drug development explain how precision oncology works, how artificial intelligence can use large pools of health data to develop new treatments, and where science is heading next.

The guests are Fatima Cardoso, head of clinical trials, scientific affairs and international development in breast oncology at the Centre Antoine Lacassagne in Nice, France, and president of the Advanced Breast Cancer Global Alliance; Giuseppe Curigliano, professor of medical oncology at the University of Milan and head of the Division of Early Drug Development at the European Institute of Oncology; and Johanna Bendell, chief development officer, oncology at Pfizer.

The episode is labelled as political advertising. Its stated purpose relates to calls for EU policymakers to improve access to precision cancer care.