The IARC Handbooks of Cancer Prevention provide an evidence-based approach to identify which interventions or strategies can prevent cancer or detect cancer at an early stage. The evaluations of the IARC Handbooks are widely used by national and international health agencies to implement evidence-based interventions or develop policy recommendations to reduce cancer risk at the population level.To date, the Handbooks Programme has produced 19 volumes, including evaluations of chemopreventive agents, behavioural interventions, cancer screening, and policies and taxation.
To accomplish its mission, the Programme performs comprehensive systematic reviews of the available evidence on the effectiveness of preventive interventions or strategies in reducing cancer incidence or mortality. The process engages independent, interdisciplinary Working Groups of international scientific experts who perform a transparent synthesis of different streams of evidence, which is then translated into an overall evaluation according to set criteria.
The Preambles, one each for primary prevention and one for secondary prevention, describe the procedures that guide the evaluations. The Preambles, which were thoroughly reviewed and revised in 2019, clearly describe the systematic review process in 8 steps, and define a new framework and evaluation scheme for primary prevention interventions and a new evaluation scheme for secondary prevention interventions. The Instructions to Authors have been updated to respond to this evolution of the structure of the Handbooks.
During the 5-year period of performance, we will build on the achievements of the current period with the following aims:
We will organize at least three Handbooks meetings to evaluate interventions targeting cancer-related public health issues of high concern. This involves monitoring the literature to identify relevant topics; selecting a Working Group of international experts; convening the Working Group and coordinating the systematic review and consensus evaluation; publishing the resulting evaluations and the final Handbook; and disseminating the outcomes.
When the topic of the meeting warrants it, we will convene a Scoping Meeting as a first step in the preparation, to define the outline, identify potential participants and determine key and controversial issues. This preparatory step will enhance the focus of the Handbook and better target users' needs.
We will develop supplementary products, based on the outcomes of the main Handbook, that will help decision-makers use the evaluations in their specific settings. The types of products will depend on the intervention(s) evaluated, the outcome of the evaluations, and specific needs related to the interventions or the cancer burden. They may include, but are not limited to, cost-effectiveness modelling studies, mapping of evidence gaps, or analyses of population-attributable fractions.
We will expand our means of communication and dissemination of the results to a wider audience, using various social media channels and pictorial information posted on our website. Also, the Programme will strengthen exchanges with other IARC Branches, with WHO, and with other national and international organizations to share resources, optimize efficiency, and increase the visibility and impact of the Programme.
