The 2023 Sino-Europe Anti-Cancer Summit organized by the China Anti-Cancer Association (CACA) was successfully held virtually on May 18th, 2023. It has attracted great attention with 12.5 million live viewers from China, USA, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Australia, Japan, Bangladesh, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, South Africa and other countries.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of illness and death in the world, and as the population ages, the global burden of cancer will continue to increase. It is expected that total number of cancer patients worldwide will reach approximately 28 million, and 16.2 million deaths by 2040. Over 40% of cancer cases are attributed to preventable factors such as smoking bans, healthy eating, physical activity, etc. Basic research and innovative therapies are also changing patients' outcome. The future path to fighting cancer requires international cooperation and the promotion of scientific and technological innovation.

The summit invited anti-cancer leaders of China and Europe to jointly explore basic research, share the latest achievements in clinical practice, and exchange ideas and perspectives on the treatment of cancer patients.to discuss the latest research findings, clinical results, and existing challenges for fighting cancer.

Prof. René Bernards, President of European Association for Cancer Research (EACR), Chair and Director of Research of The Netherlands Cancer Institute, was invited to introduce the activation of oncogenic signaling. He pointed out that hyper-activation of oncogenic signaling is a viable cancer treatment strategy, as resistance selects for cells with reduced oncogenic phenotype.

Prof. Daiming Fan, President of CACA, gave a presentation titled “The development of holistic integrative management of cancer in China”. He said that in 2022, CACA published the CACA Guidelines for Holistic Integrative Management of Cancer which covers 53 types of tumors and focuses on the whole course management of cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. In this year, CACA published another guideline named CACA Technical Guidelines for Holistic Integrative Management of Cancer which includes 60 guidelines on techniques and focuses on assessment, support, control, protection, and survival. The CACA Guidelines can provide references on cancer care for foreign countries.

Prof. Matti S. Aapro, President of Sharing Progress in Cancer Care (SPCC) and Immediate Past-President of the European Cancer Organisation presented a lecture titled “Improving patient itinerary”. He called for delivering accessible, patient-centric, evidence-based and quality care to achieve best possible outcomes and experience for all cancer patients at individual- and population-levels.

Prof. Andreas Charalambous, President of European Cancer Organisation gave a presentation on the EU Beating Cancer Plan. The plan is a new EU approach which aims across the entire disease pathway. It is structured around four key action areas where the EU can add the most value: prevention; early detection; diagnosis and treatment; and quality of life of cancer patients and survivors.

The panel discussion is a highlight of the summit. The speakers discussed on cancer prevention and control in China and Europe. The topics cover the top breakthroughs in cancer research, diagnosis, and treatment, global collaborations across the border on cancer diagnosis, treatment, and management. The global online audience also communicated with the experts and showed great interest about the conference.

The summit was chaired by Prof. Yihai Cao from the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Prof. Ying Wang, Vice President of CACA attended the conference and delivered remarks.

The 2023 Sino-Europe Anti-Cancer Summit provided a platform for oncologists in China and EU to learn from each other and will promote the global cancer control in the future.