Plenary Session: Setting up a special committee on beating cancer

Setting up a special committee on beating cancer, its responsibilities, numerical strength and term of office (B9-0188/2020)

I voted in favour of creating this special committee on beating cancer because it should improve, among other things, the treatment and prevention of this type of disease. In fact, it will have to identify actions to strengthen the approach in each of the main stages of the disease - prevention, diagnosis, treatment, life as a cancer survivor and palliative care - and formulate the recommendations that it considers necessary in relation to European Union policy in this matter.

The creation of this committee is justified by the fact that cancer diseases are the second leading cause of mortality in the Member States, after cardiovascular diseases. In 2015, 1.3 million people died of cancer in the EU-28, which is equivalent to more than a quarter (25.4%) of the total number of deaths.

In addition, prevention offers the most cost-effective long-term strategy for cancer control and, according to the World Health Organization, 30 to 50% of all cancer causes are preventable, such as alcohol and tobacco use, lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating and obesity, or environmental pollution.

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