Launch of the Cancer Dashboard for Ireland
World Cancer Day 4th Feb 2026
Today, on World Cancer Day, the Cancer Dashboard for Ireland was launched and provides a clear, EU-benchmarked picture of how Ireland is performing across the full cancer pathway, from prevention and screening through to diagnosis, treatment, survivorship and palliative care.
Today marked the launch of both the Cancer Dashboard and the launch of the Cancer Dashboard for Ireland report. Developed by the Swedish Institute for Health Economics (IHE), an independent research institute with experience producing comparative tools for policymakers across Europe, the Dashboard goes beyond a static snapshot. It is designed as a living tool, evolving over time as new national and international real-world data become available, allowing Ireland to track progress, compare performance with European peers, and understand variation across the country.
The work was commissioned and funded by MSD Ireland, with full editorial independence retained by IHE. The launch event, organised by Vulcan Consulting on behalf of MSD Ireland, brought together clinicians, researchers, policymakers, patient advocates and partners to reflect on the findings at a critical moment. With Ireland’s current National Cancer Strategy running to 2026 and evaluation now due to begin, the timing creates an opportunity not just to reflect, but to act.
While Ireland continues to maintain some of the lowest cancer mortality rates in the EU, despite an ageing population and ongoing workforce pressures, critical gaps remain. Internationally, ambition is increasing, including a renewed focus on earlier diagnosis, faster treatment and long-term survival outcomes. Tools like this Dashboard help ground that ambition in evidence, supporting informed decisions about where to invest, what to scale, and how to build on existing strengths.
Crucially, patient perspectives were embedded throughout the development of the report process. Miriam Staunton, patient advocate with UCAN Ireland, was directly involved as a patient partner, reinforcing the importance of evidence that reflects lived experience alongside system performance.
It was an honour for the All-Ireland Cancer Research Institute to contribute to the engagement and iterative process and to be acknowledged. This contribution was led by Ciaran Briscoe, Business Development Executive at AICRI. Speaking on his contribution “my focus was on bringing a system-level, all-island perspective to the development of the Dashboard, particularly how it can evolve over time to support better policy decisions. The Dashboard provides a credible baseline, not a verdict. Its real value is in helping join the dots between activity and outcomes, so that evidence can be used to make smarter, earlier and more efficient choices for patients and the system.”
AICRI welcomes initiatives like this that strengthen data transparency, support better questions, and help connect research, policy and practice in ways that improve outcomes for people affected by cancer across the island of Ireland.
#WorldCancerDay #UnitedByUnique #CancerPolicy #CancerResearch #Ireland
