Isabelle is one of the 3.2 million diagnosed with cancer every year in Europe. This overall figure hides the country-by-country disparities in quality of care across the continent. A European Partnership was launched to ensure Member States have integrate

Reporter: Battling cancer in the EU

Almost 3 million people in Europe   are diagnosed with cancer every year.

It's the second cause of death   after heart disease.

The Parliament is backing   the European Partnership

for Action against Cancer,   to beat this scourge.

Member States will have   to finance increased screening.

When you first find out   about the illness,

you feel like your world is falling apart.

When you bounce back, you realise   you are lucky and you relish each day.

You don't worry about the small things,   that aren't worth it.

Isabel is 50 years old and has been   battling breast cancer for 5 years.

Every 3 weeks, this psychomotility   teacher comes here

She now follows a treatment   that targets cancerous cells.

In Belgium in 2008, 37 out of 100,000   women died of breast cancer.

The country invested in high technology   for hospitals to combat this plague.

We've just got a new machine,   a mobile linear accelerator.

It allows us to deliver   radiotherapy during surgery,

applying radiation directly   and very precisely in some cases,

so that the patient doesn't have to come   back for radiotherapy for several weeks.

In 2008, around 3,200,000 people   suffered from cancer in Europe,

which represents an increase   of 300,000 cases in 4 years.

Statistics show that colon and breast   cancer are the most prevalent forms,

affecting more than 400,000   people per year.

According to the International   Centre for Cancer Research,

the ageing population will lead   to a clear increase in numbers affected.

The European Commission has launched   a European Partnership for 2009-2013.

It aims to reduce the number   of cases by 15% by 2020,

thanks to improved information   exchange between Member States.

The cancer treatment   in different centres in France,

This problem, which is already   a national problem,

We decided that we had to agree on a   common quality standard for patient care.

Today, members of the Organisation   of European Cancer Institutes

This voluntary federation brings together   65 European hospitals,

who are working on a project to   harmonise the quality of care in Europe.

The head of the Cancer Institute   from Manchester is at the meeting.

In the UK, an anti-cancer plan   has existed for the past 10 years.

One of the things we still need to do   is ensure people get to treatment early.

We're building new radiotherapy   services, away from our main site,

nearer to local communities. We're doing   the same with chemotherapy services,

so people have less far to travel and can   have access to the best local treatment.

a third of cancers could be treated   in time, thanks to screening.

particularly to combat cancers   of the breast, cervix and colon.

Some 750 million euros have been spent   on European research programmes,

but the procedures must be simplified so   as not to discourage future generations.

Research could go faster when carried   out between teams in several countries.

So it's the international dimension   of research that’s highlighted,

but it can also create hurdles,   a heavy administrative burden

that runs the risk of discouraging   young oncologists,

For sufferers, it's vital that   cancer doesn't become a taboo.

To make progress in research, we have   to continue to speak about it openly.

People don't dare talk about the subject.

Sometimes, they're scared   and wonder, what should I say?

Should I speak to her about it?   Does she know what's going on?

Is she going to die or not? There's   always that going on in their heads.

It's death that scares them.   We're not contagious.

It's not a contagious disease   so there's no need to be afraid.