Ten Years of the International Cancer Control Partnership: Promoting National Cancer Control Plans to Shape the Health System Response for Cancer Control

Abstract

Growing premature mortality because of cancer is an increasing public health concern in all countries. This article reviews 10 years of the International Cancer Control Partnership (ICCP) considering the themes of National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP) support, technical assistance, governance, and the renewed momentum of global calls to action. ICCP has provided key resources for the cancer community by hosting a portal with national cancer control and noncommunicable disease (NCD) plans, strategies, guidelines, and key implementation guides for a growing community of best practices. ICCP partners have responded to the changing needs of country planners, adjusting technical guidance as needs evolve from planning to implementation at the national level with an associated shift to peer-to-peer learning and knowledge exchange. The ICCP offer to assist countries in cancer planning continues to be relevant as countries focus on implementation of global initiatives for breast, cervical, and childhood cancers. These initiatives are important to drive priority actions and a systems approach in the emerging road map on NCDs—a message that will be supported by a second global review of NCCPs in 2023. This is critical for driving national action in all countries on cancer and other NCDs in line with global health commitments made for 2030 and adopted by the United Nations General Assemblies. ICCP sees robust systems and financial planning for implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of NCCPs and protection from cancer-related catastrophic expenditure, as critical to longer-term sustainability and success. ICCP calls for national policymakers to prioritize integration of cancer prevention and control into emerging universal health care approaches, including pandemic preparedness/health system resilience and calls for an equity focus in new NCCPs.