IARC@60 in Lyon: Science, Prevention, and the Road Ahead

From 19 to 21 May, Lyon, France hosted the International Conference IARC@60: Cancer Research into Action, organised by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The event, attended by leading researchers, healthcare experts and policymakers from around the world, reviewed the latest advances in cancer prevention, research and public health policy. The conference emphasised the role of science in addressing global health challenges and was structured around three thematic days: discovery and innovation for cancer prevention; translating research into Public Health action; and science-policy interface for global change.​

Latvia was represented at the conference by Professor Mārcis Leja, Director of the Institute of Clinical and Preventive Medicine at the University of Latvia. He presented LU‑coordinated and Latvia‑implemented initiatives GISTAR, TOGAS and EUCanScreen, stressing the importance of early diagnosis, screening and prevention to reduce the cancer burden.

According to IARC projections, the number of new cancer cases worldwide could increase by 60% by 2040, reaching 30.2 million cases and potentially causing 16.3 million deaths per year. This rise will affect low‑ and middle‑income countries the most, where diagnoses are often made late and access to care is limited.

Professor Mārcis Leja: “Early diagnosis enables treatment to begin at earlier disease stages, improving survival rates, reducing treatment side effects and potentially lowering overall treatment costs. Projects such as TOGAS, GISTAR and EUCanScreen will provide the evidence and tools needed for effective screening and prevention policies.”

About the Projects:

TOGAS (Towards Gastric Cancer Screening Implementation in the European Union): A study led by LU, collaborating with more than 20 partners from 14 countries, to develop gastric cancer screening strategies, risk‑assessment tools and cost‑effectiveness analyses, and to produce guidelines that meet ethical standards and cost‑effectiveness requirements for implementation across the EU.

GISTAR (Gastric cancer prevention study by predicting atrophic gastritis): An initiative supported by LU and international experts to investigate screening possibilities for gastrointestinal tumors, their early detection and the effectiveness of such programmes. The research is designed to identify new strategies to reduce gastric cancer mortality in high‑risk areas; its results will inform recommendations and policymaking in the EU.

Authors

Oskars Vizbulis, Sindija Kirsteine