The World Code Against Cancer Framework, divided by regions of the world, has been developed by adapting the model of the European Code Against Cancer 4th edition (see PDF). The World Code Against Cancer Framework gathers all of the independent Regional Codes Against Cancer under the same umbrella strategy and methodology.
Each Regional Code Against Cancer will consist of a set of cancer prevention recommendations, suited to the epidemiological, socioeconomic, and cultural conditions in that region, and adapted to the availability and accessibility of health-care systems' portfolios of services.
The recommendations will be targeted to different audiences, focusing on the individual but also specifically targeting frontline health professionals and policy-makers.
Each Regional Code will provide:
- Clear communication of the latest evidence for the general public;
- A good framework to inform programmes and policy formulation;
- A strong evidence base and methodology, supported by IARC, to maintain the coherence of a World Code Against Cancer Framework;
- A basis to enable stakeholders to unite cancer prevention with consistent messages and to promote collaborative networks of regional experts.
Structure of the Regional Codes Against Cancer
Each Regional Code Against Cancer will have the following three levels of information:
Level 1: A set of region-specific recommendations, targeted to the individual and the community but linked to known cost-effective policies that need to be in place to comply with the recommendations (which makes policy-makers also a target group of the Regional Code);
Level 2: Knowledge translation outputs for different target groups (e.g. capacity-building materials for health promoters, policy briefs for policy-makers) on the topics covered by the recommendations (i.e. expanding on key aspects of primary and secondary prevention of cancer, definitions, clarifications, special target groups, international guidelines, etc.). The types of outputs will be project-dependent and will be decided at the outset of the project.
Level 3: Publication of the scientific justification in peer-reviewed articles, explaining the recommendations and related content for the online training, and the respective evidence base.
The content of all three levels will be developed by several working groups of independent experts from the region, focusing on:
- Lifestyle factors: tobacco, weight, diet, alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages, physical activity, and hormonal factors (including related prevention policies);
- Environmental and occupational risk factors: contaminants in the air, water, soil, and food; radiation; and occupations (including related prevention policies);
- Infections: hepatitis, human papillomavirus (HPV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Helicobacter pylori, etc. (including related prevention policies or health system strategies);
- Medical interventions: screening and pharmaceutical drugs (including related prevention policies or health system strategies);
- Communication: health promotion and behavioural change, education, and communication and dissemination in relation to cancer prevention campaigns;
- Literature: systematic reviews needed to update the evidence.
