ENCR Newsflash March 2026

The CancerWatch Joint Action is proud to announce the launch of its official website cancerwatch.eu — the central hub for everything related to the Joint Action. CancerWatch brings together partners from across Europe to strengthen the quality, speed and usability of cancer registry data, ensuring that evidence truly informs decisions at national and European level. The shared ambition is clear: better data for better decisions — and ultimately, better outcomes for people affected by cancer.

We are pleased to announce the latest BENCHISTA study publication in JAMA Network Open, analysing stage at diagnosis and international survival variation in childhood tumours. The study highlights marked global differences in survival and the importance of early diagnosis, high quality data, and strong collaboration between clinicians and cancer registries. As stage at diagnosis explains only part of the geographical survival gaps, the paper also introduces the project’s second phase, which will report 5 year survival for the six tumour types studied and further examine the impact of therapy and biological features (NSP).

The ESMO Real-World Data and Digital Oncology Journal has extended the submission deadline for its Special Issue "Cancer Registries for High-quality Real-World Data" to 30 April 2026. The Special Issue invites contributions on advancements and challenges in cancer registry data and its application in real-world oncology research. Submissions are welcome across several categories, including short communications describing the structure and research potential of specific registries, as well as original research articles, perspectives or reviews addressing innovative methods for data collection and standardisation, use of registry data in prevention and early detection research, treatment patterns and disparities, and quality of care.

The Cancer Survival Group at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) will run its 19th annual short course on cancer survival. This full-time, in-person course covers the theory, formulae and statistical modelling of cancer survival, as well as cancer registration, data quality control, and other cancer metrics including incidence, mortality, cure and prevalence. International comparisons of survival and the public health and policy implications of trends and inequalities are also addressed. Faculty includes Professor Claudia Allemani, Professor Michel Coleman (LSHTM) and Professor Maja Pohar Perme (University of Ljubljana). Over the past 20 years, the course has welcomed participants from more than 60 countries worldwide.

TThe ENCR Steering Committee are organising two webinars in 2026. Dates will be announced soon.

The Call for Abstracts for the 50th GRELL Scientific Conference in Dijon, France has the submission deadline: 31 March 2026 at midnight. Registration is open; information on fees and submission guidelines is available on the conference website.

The ENCR Steering Committee met on 3 December 2025 virtually. Summary minutes are available for consultation.

The e-Learning modules aim to facilitate the training of cancer registrars in coding topography, morphology and cancer stage, implementing the relevant international classifications.

Version 2.3.1 of the JRC-ENCR Quality Check Software includes software upgrades and the revision of the data quality checklist. Cancer registries are encouraged to check regularly for the most up-to-date version on the ENCR website.

The Ask an Expert section is available on the ENCR website for those who wish to submit questions about difficult-to-code cancer cases. Questions may be submitted in the original language.