Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – Every year, 2,7 million new cancer cases occur in Europe, equivalent to 5 every minute. On the other hand, thanks to prevention campaigns and increasingly effective treatments, approximately 7,3 million cancer deaths have been averted in the European Union since 1988. In 2026, approximately 1.230.000 cancer deaths are estimated, a decrease of 7,8% for men and 5,9% for women compared to the 2020-2022 period.
Lung cancer in males shows the most significant decrease (-22,5%).
Innovation translates not only into lives saved, but also into the possibility of reintegrating people who have experienced cancer into society and the productive fabric. In Europe, indirect costs, primarily related to the loss of productivity caused by the disease, have decreased by 16% in approximately 30 years, from €97 billion in 1995 to €82 billion in 2023.
However, critical issues remain in accessing innovative therapies. In Europe, on average, only 51% of new drugs approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) are made available, and it takes 655 days to access them (in 2025). Italy has better data, although the timeframe is still too long. Italy guarantees access to 89% of anticancer drugs approved by the EMA and, in this ranking, is second in Europe after Germany (91%) (Austria 86%; Spain 73%; France 68%).
In our country, however, 470 days, or approximately 15 months, must pass before the new treatments become available. The appeal to speed up the process comes from the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM), at the scientific society's official press conference at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) congress, which opens today in Madrid.
"The decline in smoking among men is the cause of the greatest reduction in cancer mortality among the male population, and this trend is also present in Italy," explains Massimo Di Maio, President of AIOM. "Innovative therapies not only improve survival, but also promote the return to work and social life. The reduction in the indirect costs of cancer is a very important result, driven by increasingly effective treatments, which must be available to all patients for equity in innovation. In one year, the time to obtain new anticancer drugs has increased by more than two months in Europe and by about a month in Italy. In 2024, the average time to receive new drugs in Europe was 586 days, while in Italy it was 441 days. Critical issues related to bureaucratic and administrative procedures still remain in Italy because, after reimbursement approval by the Italian Medicines Agency, in some regions it is necessary to wait for inclusion in the regional therapeutic formularies. Further delays may be caused by regional tenders and the need for inclusion in the formularies as well." hospital therapeutics. AIOM has been denouncing regional and local delays in drug delivery for many years. Immediate availability should be ensured after publication in the Official Journal.
The time to access new treatments could be further delayed due to the "most favored nation" (MFN) clause established by the US administration, which calls for reducing the prices of American drugs to align them with the lowest prices in other countries, including Italy. "This measure," Di Maio continued, "risks further delaying the process and generating serious repercussions on cancer care in our country. Pharmaceutical companies, in fact, could decide to delay the launch of new, innovative cancer therapies in Europe and Italy, or not make them available at all, to prevent a low local price from affecting or reducing revenues in the more lucrative US market."
According to experts, over the past 10 years (2014–2023), spending on cancer drugs in Europe has increased from €24,9 billion to €64,3 billion. This growth was driven by a combination of price effects and the increase in cancer cases. Italy accounts for 14% of European spending on cancer drugs, ranking third after Germany (19%) and France (19%).
“In Europe, the share of chemotherapy in total oncology drug expenditure has decreased from 22% in 2014 to 6% in 2023, overtaken by targeted therapies and immunotherapies,” says Giuseppe Curigliano, ESMO President-elect. “Immunotherapies alone now account for 29% of expenditure. These changes reflect the growing impact of precision oncology, which allows for the selection of the right treatment for the individual patient. The number of EMA approvals has increased significantly, from an average of one new drug per year in the period 1995-2000 to around 14 per year in 2021-2024. Western European countries tend to reimburse a greater number of therapies and to do so more quickly than Central and Eastern Europe. For example, Germany made 91% of the oncology drugs approved by the EMA in the period 2021-2024 available within just over 100 days, while Romania, Estonia, Malta, Slovakia, and Latvia have rates of 20% or less, and repayment times are around 1.000 days in Lithuania, Romania, and Estonia, leading to significant inequalities that must be addressed as soon as possible.”
"Biomarker tests are now a cornerstone of precision medicine, enabling us to identify the most appropriate therapy for each individual patient," explains Rossana Berardi, president-elect of AIOM. "Technologies such as next-generation sequencing allow us to simultaneously analyze many molecular alterations, but the complexity of the results makes the role of Molecular Tumor Boards increasingly important, as they are essential for translating genomic data into appropriate clinical decisions. Italy boasts a highly valuable National Health Service, competitive clinical research, and a unique wealth of real-world data, thanks in part to the AIFA monitoring registries. These are resources we must leverage to attract research, trials, and investment. Supporting Italian oncology means not only ensuring better care for patients today, but also helping to generate the innovation and evidence that will guide tomorrow's treatments here."
It is estimated that in Europe 5% of the population has been diagnosed with cancer, for a total of 23,7 million people.
"In Italy, four million people are still living after a cancer diagnosis," Di Maio concludes. "In 2025, approximately 390.000 new cases are estimated in our country. Survival and recovery rates for many cancers are increasing. Sixty-three percent of women and 54% of men are alive at five years, and at least one in four patients has returned to the same life expectancy as the general population and can be considered cured. To further improve these results, it is essential to invest in research and prevention programs."
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