Europe marks its first Cancer Literacy Day, launched by the CURTAIN Project.
Save the date: 14 October 2026. Partners from across Europe will launch the inaugural Cancer Literacy Day, a landmark initiative that aims to become a permanent annual European movement dedicated to advancing equitable access to cancer knowledge.
Coordinated through the CURTAIN project (Beating Cancer Inequalities through Literacy in Europe) and supported by a growing network of EU4Health and Cancer Mission projects, Cancer Literacy Day contributes directly to the objectives of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the EU Cancer Mission.
Cancer literacy is the ability to find, understand, evaluate, and act on cancer-related information. We believe that low levels of cancer literacy limit people’s ability to engage in prevention, participate in screening, understand diagnoses, and make informed treatment decisions, compounding existing cancer inequalities. Cancer Literacy Day is envisioned to grow year on year into a permanent European movement — a shared annual moment of reflection, advocacy, and action that sustains momentum far beyond any single project or funding cycle.
By establishing this recurring observance, we aim to build a growing community of practice around cancer literacy, strengthen cross-sector collaboration, and ensure that access to trustworthy, understandable, and culturally appropriate cancer information is recognised as a fundamental component of quality cancer care across Europe.
Cancer Literacy Day is supported by a network of projects united by a shared commitment to reducing cancer inequalities. Current supporting projects include:
- 4P-PCAN (Personalized CANcer Primary Prevention research through Citizen Participation and digitally enabled social innovation)
- CAREWAY (Cancer Awareness, Resources, and Education Pathways)
- iNTERVENE (Supports Health Literacy for Cancer Prevention and Care)
- BClear (Advancing Cancer Bladder Literacy in Europe)
- CLEAR-PC (Cancer Literacy Education and Awareness Resources for Prostate Cancer)
- CHOICE (Breast Cancer Literacy)
The network remains open and evolving. European projects, organisations, patient groups, healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers, and community stakeholders are warmly invited to join this growing movement.