Developing an NCCP
What makes a good National Cancer Control Plan?
Key elements of a strong NCCP
Several key elements are essential to developing a comprehensive NCCP that meets the current and future health needs of a country’s cancer burden:
- Address the full continuum of cancer care — including prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, palliative care, and research.
- Follow a health systems approach, defining governance structures, resource allocation, and financing around measurable goals aligned with national cancer control efforts.
- Be grounded in data and evidence, using reliable cancer surveillance data (e.g., incidence, stage at diagnosis, mortality) from population-based cancer registries to inform priorities and evaluate progress.
- Reflect the national context, including the country’s cancer burden, prevalent risk factors, health system capacity, and socioeconomic conditions.
- Engage multi sectoral stakeholders, including government agencies, civil society, academia, and healthcare providers, to ensure broad input, shared ownership, and coordinated implementation.
- Provide a sustainable, strategic framework that supports long-term action, adapts to changing needs, and integrates with broader national health plans.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines National Cancer Control Plans as:
“Public health programmes designed to reduce cancer incidence and mortality and improve the quality of life of cancer patients, through the systematic and equitable implementation of evidence-based strategies for prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment and palliation, making the best use of available resources.”
