IARC 60th Anniversary - 19-21 May 2026
Session : 20/05/26 - Posters
Creating Synergies to Overcome Fragmentation in Primary Cancer Prevention: The CANCEPT Research Network
FERVERS B. 1,2, GALLOPEL-MORVAN K. 3, KEMPF C. 4,5, REDMOND N. 6, ADDAMIANO C. 6, OUSTRIC P. 1,2, BELLICHA A. 7, CADORÉ A. 1, JACQUEMOT A. 1,2, MOUMJID N. 1,5, BERNARD S. 7,8, VERON L. 9, SOERJOMATARAM I. 10, SCHÜZ J. 11, DELALOGE s. 9
1 Department of Prevention Cancer Environment, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France; 2 INSERM U1296 Radiations, Defense, Health and Environment, Lyon, France; 3 Univ Rennes, EHESP, CNRS, Inserm, Arènes - UMR 6051, RSMS - U1309, Rennes, France; 4 Promotion Santé Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Lyon, France; 5 Health, Systemic, Process, UR 4129 Research Unit, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, University of Lyon, Lyon, France; 6 Centre d’épidémiologie et de recherche en santé des populations (CERPOP) - UMR1295, Equity Research Team, Inserm, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France; 7 Sorbonne Paris Nord University, Inserm U1153, Inrae U1125, Cnam, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center – University of Paris-Cité (CRESS), SMBH Paris 13, F-93017, Bobigny Cedex, France; 8 NACRe French Network for Nutrition And Cancer Research, Jouy-en-Josas, France; 9 Department of Cancer Medicine, Interception Programme, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France; 10 Cancer Surveillance Branch, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France; 11 Environment and Lifestyle Epidemiology Branch, International Agency for Research on Cancer - World Health Organization (IARC/WHO), Lyon, France
Background
Reducing exposure to modifiable risk factors can substantially decrease cancer incidence and mortality. However, a persistent gap remains between scientific knowledge and its effective translation into prevention practices. One major, yet insufficiently addressed, explanation is the fragmentation of cancer prevention across concepts, policies, governance, service delivery, and funding mechanisms. This fragmentation leads to siloed actions, duplication of efforts, inefficient use of resources, and missed opportunities for synergistic prevention strategies. Despite recognition of the importance of coordination across the cancer care continuum, little attention has been paid to operationalizing continuity and integration specifically in cancer prevention.
Objective
CANCEPT (Cancer Prevention Transdisciplinary Network) was established to address fragmentation in primary cancer prevention by fostering transdisciplinary, participatory, and cross-sectoral approaches spanning the continuum from understanding cancer causes to implementing scalable prevention interventions.
Methods
Endorsed and funded by the French National Cancer Institute (INCa), CANCEPT brings together national and international experts in epidemiology, nutrition, behavioral sciences, health economics, social and health inequalities, participatory, clinical and interventional research, and public health, alongside field partners and community stakeholders. The network developed a shared conceptual framework to define cancer prevention fragmentation and co-designed interventions explicitly targeting synergies between prevention components. Participatory research methods were used to ensure relevance, feasibility, and scalability from research prioritisation, pilot testing to broader implementation.
Results
CANCEPT developed a shared operational definition of fragmentation in cancer prevention as the “compartmentalization of determinants, concepts, structures, and target populations.” Since 2022, the network has co-developed five primary cancer prevention interventions, all currently under implementation or evaluation. One intervention has progressed to economic modeling to assess cost-effectiveness and sustainability. The interventions explicitly address: (i) integration of individual-level behavioral interventions with environmental-level actions; (ii) embedding primary prevention within cancer screening programmes; (iii) combining community-based prevention with personalized strategies for populations at increased cancer risk; and (iv) primary prevention targeting cancer patients and their informal caregivers. We will present the network’s approach, as well as progress of the interventions jointly developed by the CANCEPT members, and discuss related barriers and opportunities.
Conclusions/Implications
CANCEPT demonstrates that structured, transdisciplinary, and participatory research networks can function as effective incubators for innovation in primary cancer prevention. While population-level impact cannot yet be fully measured, the initiative has laid strong foundations for long-term research integration, capacity building, and policy engagement. Addressing fragmentation through coordinated, cross-sector approaches is essential to advancing scalable, equitable, and evidence-based cancer prevention strategies.