Statement - Leaders' call on the fight against cancer

ÉVIAN, France , June 16, 2026 /CNW/ - "We, the Leaders of the G7, reaffirm our commitment to accelerate the fight against cancer. Partner countries of the G7, Brazil, Egypt, India, Kenya, and the Republic of Korea, also support this call on the fight against cancer.

Cancer kills nearly 10 million people each year worldwide and new cases are projected to increase by 80 per cent globally by 2050, given the aging of the population and its interactions with environmental and behavioural risk factors, placing an ever-greater burden on societies, health systems and economies. Improvements in access to cancer prevention - including through screening, diagnosis and care - can and should be made. While major scientific advances have been achieved in several critical areas, progress should be accelerated by alignment of research efforts and faster translation of innovation into care. In this regard, we welcome that such advances have brought the elimination of cervical cancer within reach and we will accelerate our efforts to that end.

We are determined to deepen international scientific cooperation, close persistent gaps in prevention and early detection, and ensure that progress in oncology reaches every patient. While acknowledging our existing financing efforts and the shared global responsibility, where we have taken a leadership role, we commit to strengthening our endeavours to advance cancer research and development.

We commend the scientific advances made through international, regional and national initiatives. We have made concrete progress on aligning our cancer research programmes, strengthening collaboration between leading cancer institutes and advancing interoperable data standards for paediatric and adolescent cancers.  

Accelerating international data access for paediatric, adolescent and young adult cancers

We recognise that no single country possesses sufficient data to generate robust evidence across the full range of paediatric, adolescent and young adult tumour types. Building on existing international, regional and national initiatives - in accordance with our legislation, priorities, capacities and resources, and in compliance with applicable rules on privacy, data protection and intellectual property rights - we intend to work towards:

• Promoting collaboration between existing data resources and programmes, where appropriate, to bridge national registries, advance interoperability standards and enable responsible cross-border data collaboration, in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory frameworks while respecting national competences.
• Supporting large-scale, multi-dimensional data integration, including clinical, genomic and imaging data, which enables safe and secure data use without the necessity for direct data transfer, drawing on artificial intelligence, where appropriate and according to legal regulatory frameworks.
• Building on existing international, regional and national initiatives to avoid duplication, close gaps and strengthen international research collaboration for paediatric, adolescent and young adult cancers.

Intensifying our fight against cancers with poor prognosis

We recognise that mortality from cancers with poor prognosis is one of the foremost global scientific challenges. Building on existing international, regional and national initiatives, we intend to work towards:

• Supporting research on cancers with poor prognosis and the work towards establishing a shared international definition and research agenda for cancers with poor prognosis, recognising them as a major global challenge.
• Setting ambitious targets for the roll out of screening programmes and for the diagnosis of more cancers at stage 1, as appropriate within national health systems and country contexts, to improve survival rates for cancers with poor prognosis, and in particular to significantly reduce lung cancer mortality in the next ten years.
• Fostering innovative international research programmes, improving cooperation on clinical trials and accelerating the translation of scientific advances - including through digital technologies, artificial intelligence and quantum research - into clinical practice for patients.

Strengthening access to quality cancer care for all

We recognize that access to quality cancer care for all remains a pressing challenge. We intend to work towards:

• Supporting country-led efforts to strengthen resilient and self-reliant health systems capable of delivering high-quality cancer care for all.
• Encouraging the development of comprehensive cancer centres, as anchors of research excellence, care quality and education internationally.
• Promoting the secure, responsible and trustworthy use of evidence-based digital technologies, artificial intelligence and quantum research to improve early detection, support clinical decision-making, strengthen palliative care and expand the reach of evidence-based care for all, while preserving patients' privacy.

We will remain engaged and review progress on these commitments.

This call for action reflects the outcome of the discussion between G7 members, benefiting from productive exchanges of views with partner countries."

This document is also available at https://pm.gc.ca

SOURCE Prime Minister's Office

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