World Cancer Day 2026

World Cancer Day is an annual campaign by the Union for International Cancer Control. It was created on 4 February 2000 to help unite the cancer community to reduce the global cancer burden, and advocate for equal access to life-saving cancer diagnosis, treatment and care. The new World Cancer Day theme 2025-2027 “United by Unique” places people at the centre of care and their stories at the heart of the conversation.

Pain is a common symptom among cancer survivors. Up to 40% of survivors experience pain, while at least 66% of individuals with advanced progressive cancer experience disabling pain. Research suggests that cancer pain is poorly controlled in a substantial number of individuals.

In addition to consulting on Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan in 2020, the European Pain Federation EFIC has also endorsed a Joint Statement by the European Patient Cancer Coalition to call on EU policymakers to prioritise cancer-related complications and comorbidities. See the statement in full here.

In 2024, EFIC has also been involved in two research collaborations focusing on cancer pain: INTERACT-EUROPE (developing a European inter-specialty cancer training programme) and smartCARE (developing a mobile app to improve the quality of life and health status of cancer survivors). You can find out more about them here.

For more information on EFIC and cancer pain, please see the following resources:

Find out more about our Cancer Pain Policy
Read the EFIC position paper Standards for the management of cancer‐related pain across Europe: A position paper from the EFIC Task Force on Cancer Pain
Read the SIP position paper on cancer pain here
Read up on the 10 standards published by the European Pain Federation to improve cancer pain management across Europe. These standards recommend:

Routine pain assessment at healthcare encounters,
A tailored multimodal pain management plan which is reviewed where necessary,
Self-management advice and support,
Specialist referral if pain is not improving or medicines are creating intolerable side effects,
Ongoing education and training for healthcare professionals who treat cancer,
Monitoring of service outcomes,
And national guidelines for cancer-related pain.

Adoption of the 10 standards across Europe will promote the quality of care of patients with cancer‐related pain and reduce unnecessary suffering.

Our Upcoming Webinar

For World Cancer Day 2026, EFIC, in cooperation with the European Cancer Organisation (ECO), presents a webinar on Pain in Cancer Survivorship: Long-Term Care and Policy Needs. This event will explore the long-term burden of pain in cancer survivors, drawing on insights from a recent EU-wide report on cancer survivorship and quality of life.

Healthcare professionals, researchers, and policymakers will have the opportunity to discuss unmet needs in follow-up care, multidisciplinary approaches to pain management, and policy priorities to enhance quality of life for people living with and beyond cancer.

Date & Time: 2 Feb. 2026, 12:30 PM
Location: Brussels