Background
Global cancer incidence is increasing rapidly, intensifying pressure on health systems and exposing persistent inequities in access, quality, and outcomes across countries. While cancer data availability has expanded, many national cancer control plans (NCCPs) face challenges in translating evidence into effective policy and system reform. International benchmarking initiatives offer a critical science-policy interface, enabling countries to compare performance, identify drivers of variation in outcomes, and inform context-specific policy responses across the cancer care continuum.
 
Objectives
This session aims to explore how national and international benchmarking data are being used to inform evidence-based cancer control strategies. It seeks to demonstrate how comparative data can support priority-setting, guide health system reform, and help governments balance equity and effectiveness in cancer prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship.
 
Methods
The session draws on comparative analyses from the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership (ICBP). Case studies from ICBP partner countries will demonstrate how data-driven approaches have shaped policies and plans across health systems, illustrating reforms in financing, workforce, governance, and service delivery. Furthermore, links to resources supporting evidence-based cancer strategy development, including those available from the ICBP.
 
Results
Benchmarking evidence has enabled countries to identify critical gaps in optimal diagnosis and treatment pathways, service organisation, and health financing, influencing targeted policy reforms and strategic investment. Practical examples demonstrate how comparative cancer data have informed NCCP development, strengthened accountability, and accelerated improvements in outcomes. Furthermore, ICBP’s innovative approaches explore how benchmarking can be used to better understand health equity in access while improving the quality and timeliness of care.
 
 
Conclusion/Implication for policy
International benchmarking is a powerful mechanism for strengthening the science-policy interface in cancer control. As cancer burden rises and resource constraints intensify, governments must leverage high-quality comparative data to guide efficient, equitable, and impactful health system reform. The evolving work of the ICBP demonstrates the value of moving beyond outcome comparisons to examine underlying health system drivers, such as workforce, governance arrangements, and care pathways, that shape access and outcomes. Embedding this systems-oriented benchmarking within national planning and evaluation processes can strengthen data-driven decision-making, expand the evidence base for policy action, and accelerate progress toward more equitable cancer outcomes globally.