Background: According to the European Cancer Information System estimates, 2.7 million people in the European Union (EU) were diagnosed with cancer in 2024, and close to 1.3 million people died from the disease. With current demographic trends, by 2040 the number of new cancer cases is set to increase by 18.4%, which means that cancer will still be a leading cause of death in the EU.  

Objectives: The Knowledge Centre on Cancer (KCC), which is a flagship initiative of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, aims to provide independent, scientific, evidence-based information in support of EU actions on cancer. These actions focus particularly on prevention, cancer burden assessment, and provision of European guidelines and quality assurance schemes on screening, diagnosis and care. 

Methods: The KCC is founded on five pillars: (i) the European Cancer Information System (ECIS), which reports on the burden of cancer and its trends over time across the EU; (ii) the European Cancer Inequalities Registry (ECIR), which identifies and monitors inequalities in cancer prevention and care across eight different dimensions; (iii) the European guidelines and quality assurance schemes for six different types of cancer; (iv) the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Knowledge Gateway, which produces evidence-based briefs and best practices on reducing the risk of cancer and other non-communicable diseases, and (v) the European Platform on Rare Disease Registration, which aims to reduce the fragmentation of patient data on rare diseases (including paediatric cancer) contained in hundreds of registries across the EU. 

Results: Among all the KCC cancer-related activities, recent highlights include the release of the 2024 cancer incidence and mortality estimates by ECIS. These latest estimates show a decrease of 1.7% compared with 2022, with cancer deaths also decreased by 1.9%. ECIS has also recently published updated data on childhood cancer, relating to an estimated 22,505 children and adolescents aged 0–19 diagnosed with cancer in 2024. Another recent KCC highlight is represented by the European Quality Assurance Scheme for Breast Cancer Services endorsement by the European Co-operation for Accreditation. This voluntary scheme establishes robust, evidence-based criteria to enhance the quality and equity of breast cancer screening and treatment throughout the EU, and ensures continuity of care throughout the entire breast cancer care pathway. 

Conclusions/Implications for practice or policy: The KCC cancer-related activities identify best practices and monitor the effectiveness of new cancer policies by transparently analysing, monitoring and communicating cancer trends and inequalities in Europe. They help guide future financial EU investments, and provide measures to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.