{"entity":{"id":"iarc","kind":"institution","name":"International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC / WHO)","aka":[],"tldr":"IARC is the WHO's cancer agency, responsible for global cancer statistics (GLOBOCAN), carcinogen classification, and prevention research.","summary":"The International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon is the World Health Organization's cancer agency, responsible for the GLOBOCAN global cancer statistics, the IARC Monographs that classify carcinogens, the WHO Classification of Tumours known as the Blue Books, and the cervical cancer elimination effort. Its verdicts that excess body fat causes thirteen cancers and that alcohol caused an estimated 741,000 cancers worldwide in 2020 are carried as papers in OnCo, as are its Indian trials of HPV vaccine dosing and of cervical and oral cancer screening. OnCo connects it to bottlenecks on the absence of cancer and palliative care in most of the world, and to the idea of a Global Fund for cancer. Whether single-dose HPV vaccination becomes the norm is one question its own trials raised. Its GLOBOCAN collection has its own page.","asOf":"2026-09-04","links":[{"label":"Official website","url":"https://www.iarc.who.int"}],"tags":[],"related":[],"cancers":[],"sections":[],"technologies":[],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":["bray-freddie","cree-ian","weiderpass-elisabete","basu-partha","sankaranarayanan-rengaswamy"],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"city":"Lyon","country":"FR","lat":45.741,"lng":4.856,"institutionType":"government","website":"https://www.iarc.who.int","programs":["GLOBOCAN","Monographs","WHO tumour classification"]},"route":"/institutions/iarc/","neighbours":{"person":[{"id":"ilbawi-andre","kind":"person","name":"André Ilbawi","route":"/people/ilbawi-andre/"},{"id":"weiderpass-elisabete","kind":"person","name":"Elisabete Weiderpass","route":"/people/weiderpass-elisabete/"},{"id":"bray-freddie","kind":"person","name":"Freddie Bray","route":"/people/bray-freddie/"},{"id":"cree-ian","kind":"person","name":"Ian Cree","route":"/people/cree-ian/"},{"id":"nubia-munoz","kind":"person","name":"Nubia Muñoz","route":"/people/nubia-munoz/"},{"id":"basu-partha","kind":"person","name":"Partha Basu","route":"/people/basu-partha/"},{"id":"sankaranarayanan-rengaswamy","kind":"person","name":"Rengaswamy Sankaranarayanan","route":"/people/sankaranarayanan-rengaswamy/"}],"cancer":[{"id":"cervical","kind":"cancer","name":"Cervical cancer","route":"/cancers/cervical/"}],"paper":[{"id":"paper-alcohol-cancer-burden-lancet-oncol-2021","kind":"paper","name":"Alcohol caused an estimated 741,000 cancers worldwide in 2020","route":"/key-papers/paper-alcohol-cancer-burden-lancet-oncol-2021/"},{"id":"paper-bray-globocan-2018-cacancer-2018","kind":"paper","name":"Bray 2018: GLOBOCAN 2018, worldwide incidence and mortality for 36 cancers","route":"/key-papers/paper-bray-globocan-2018-cacancer-2018/"},{"id":"paper-bray-globocan-2022-cacancer-2024","kind":"paper","name":"Bray 2024: GLOBOCAN 2022, the world's cancer count for 36 cancers in 185 countries","route":"/key-papers/paper-bray-globocan-2022-cacancer-2024/"},{"id":"paper-sankaranarayanan-oral-screening-lancet-2005","kind":"paper","name":"Effect of screening on oral cancer mortality in Kerala, India","route":"/key-papers/paper-sankaranarayanan-oral-screening-lancet-2005/"},{"id":"paper-ferlay-globocan-2012-methods-ijc-2015","kind":"paper","name":"Ferlay 2015: sources, methods and major patterns in GLOBOCAN 2012","route":"/key-papers/paper-ferlay-globocan-2012-methods-ijc-2015/"},{"id":"paper-ferlay-globocan-2018-methods-ijc-2019","kind":"paper","name":"Ferlay 2019: GLOBOCAN 2018 sources and methods","route":"/key-papers/paper-ferlay-globocan-2018-methods-ijc-2019/"},{"id":"paper-ferlay-cancer-statistics-2020-overview-ijc-2021","kind":"paper","name":"Ferlay 2021: cancer statistics for the year 2020, an overview","route":"/key-papers/paper-ferlay-cancer-statistics-2020-overview-ijc-2021/"},{"id":"paper-diaz-gay-colibactin-geographic-age-mutational-processes-nature-2025","kind":"paper","name":"Geographic and age variations in mutational processes in colorectal cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-diaz-gay-colibactin-geographic-age-mutational-processes-nature-2025/"},{"id":"paper-sankaranarayanan-hpv-screening-nejm-2009","kind":"paper","name":"HPV screening for cervical cancer in rural India (Osmanabad)","route":"/key-papers/paper-sankaranarayanan-hpv-screening-nejm-2009/"},{"id":"paper-body-fatness-iarc-nejm-2016","kind":"paper","name":"IARC verdict: excess body fat causes 13 cancers","route":"/key-papers/paper-body-fatness-iarc-nejm-2016/"},{"id":"paper-jemal-global-cancer-statistics-2011-cacancer","kind":"paper","name":"Jemal 2011: Global cancer statistics (GLOBOCAN 2008)","route":"/key-papers/paper-jemal-global-cancer-statistics-2011-cacancer/"},{"id":"paper-parkin-global-cancer-statistics-2002-cacancer-2005","kind":"paper","name":"Parkin 2005: Global cancer statistics, 2002","route":"/key-papers/paper-parkin-global-cancer-statistics-2002-cacancer-2005/"},{"id":"paper-sung-globocan-2020-cacancer-2021","kind":"paper","name":"Sung 2021: GLOBOCAN 2020, the year breast cancer overtook lung cancer as the most diagnosed cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-sung-globocan-2020-cacancer-2021/"},{"id":"paper-torre-global-cancer-statistics-2012-cacancer-2015","kind":"paper","name":"Torre 2015: Global cancer statistics, 2012","route":"/key-papers/paper-torre-global-cancer-statistics-2012-cacancer-2015/"},{"id":"paper-basu-single-dose-hpv-lancet-oncol-2021","kind":"paper","name":"Vaccine efficacy against persistent HPV 16/18 infection at 10 years after one, two and three doses of quadrivalent HPV vaccine in girls in India","route":"/key-papers/paper-basu-single-dose-hpv-lancet-oncol-2021/"}],"roadmap":[{"id":"prevention-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Cancer prevention roadmap: tobacco control and vaccines → biomarker-guided chemoprevention → interception in carriers","route":"/roadmaps/prevention-roadmap/"},{"id":"colorectal-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Colorectal cancer roadmap: from the adenoma-carcinoma sequence and the first screening trials to total mesorectal excision, oxaliplatin, RAS testing, immunotherapy for mismatch repair-deficient disease, ctDNA-guided treatment and organ preservation","route":"/roadmaps/colorectal-roadmap/"},{"id":"nutrition-lifestyle-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Diet, exercise and lifestyle roadmap: causes established → interventions that disappointed → exercise proven as treatment","route":"/roadmaps/nutrition-lifestyle-roadmap/"},{"id":"global-access-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Global access and affordability roadmap: essential medicines and generics → biosimilars and frugal trials → reliance, pooling and homegrown innovation","route":"/roadmaps/global-access-roadmap/"}],"idea":[{"id":"idea-gbc-burden-to-funding-audit-and-dedicated-call","kind":"idea","name":"A burden-to-funding audit for gallbladder cancer and a dedicated research call","route":"/ideas/idea-gbc-burden-to-funding-audit-and-dedicated-call/"},{"id":"idea-acc-global-cancer-financing-window","kind":"idea","name":"A dedicated global financing window for cancer, modelled on the Global Fund","route":"/ideas/idea-acc-global-cancer-financing-window/"},{"id":"idea-fund-global-cancer-fund","kind":"idea","name":"A Global Fund for cancer care in low- and middle-income countries","route":"/ideas/idea-fund-global-cancer-fund/"},{"id":"idea-tr1-trial-desert-map","kind":"idea","name":"A public map of trial deserts to steer where new sites open","route":"/ideas/idea-tr1-trial-desert-map/"},{"id":"idea-prev-lmic-five-cancer-methylation-test","kind":"idea","name":"A ten-dollar blood test for the five cancers that kill most people in poorer countries","route":"/ideas/idea-prev-lmic-five-cancer-methylation-test/"},{"id":"idea-prev-indolent-lesion-nomenclature-body","kind":"idea","name":"An international body to rename indolent lesions so 'cancer' means something","route":"/ideas/idea-prev-indolent-lesion-nomenclature-body/"},{"id":"idea-acc-open-oncology-workforce-model","kind":"idea","name":"An open global model of cancer workforce supply and demand by country","route":"/ideas/idea-acc-open-oncology-workforce-model/"},{"id":"idea-acc-open-hardware-linac","kind":"idea","name":"An open-hardware radiotherapy machine built for unreliable power and dust","route":"/ideas/idea-acc-open-hardware-linac/"},{"id":"idea-prev-commercial-sunbed-ban","kind":"idea","name":"Ban commercial sunbeds","route":"/ideas/idea-prev-commercial-sunbed-ban/"},{"id":"idea-fund-lmic-radiotherapy-finance","kind":"idea","name":"Blended finance and a low-cost linac to close the global radiotherapy gap","route":"/ideas/idea-fund-lmic-radiotherapy-finance/"},{"id":"idea-fund-burden-weighted-portfolio","kind":"idea","name":"Burden-weighted portfolio targets for every major cancer funder","route":"/ideas/idea-fund-burden-weighted-portfolio/"},{"id":"idea-moon-eliminate-infection-cancers","kind":"idea","name":"Eliminate infection-caused cancers: HPV, hepatitis B and C, H. pylori and EBV","route":"/ideas/idea-moon-eliminate-infection-cancers/"},{"id":"idea-nl-alcohol-minimum-pricing-cancer-endpoints","kind":"idea","name":"Evaluate alcohol minimum unit pricing against cancer incidence","route":"/ideas/idea-nl-alcohol-minimum-pricing-cancer-endpoints/"},{"id":"idea-crc-early-onset-cause-hunt","kind":"idea","name":"Find out what is driving early-onset bowel cancer, starting with colibactin, before extending screening any further","route":"/ideas/idea-crc-early-onset-cause-hunt/"},{"id":"idea-acc-registries-as-aid-condition","kind":"idea","name":"Make a population cancer registry a condition of every cancer aid programme","route":"/ideas/idea-acc-registries-as-aid-condition/"},{"id":"idea-data-registry-in-a-box","kind":"idea","name":"Open-source cancer registry-in-a-box for low-resource settings","route":"/ideas/idea-data-registry-in-a-box/"},{"id":"idea-tr1-lmic-sites-in-pivotal-trials","kind":"idea","name":"Pivotal trials include sites in Africa, South Asia and Latin America, sponsor-funded","route":"/ideas/idea-tr1-lmic-sites-in-pivotal-trials/"},{"id":"idea-moon-radiotherapy-for-everyone-2040","kind":"idea","name":"Radiotherapy for everyone who needs it by 2040","route":"/ideas/idea-moon-radiotherapy-for-everyone-2040/"},{"id":"idea-prev-hpv-single-dose-switch-catchup","kind":"idea","name":"Switch every country to single-dose HPV vaccination and add catch-up to age 26","route":"/ideas/idea-prev-hpv-single-dose-switch-catchup/"}],"collection":[{"id":"globocan","kind":"collection","name":"GLOBOCAN / Global Cancer Observatory","route":"/collections/globocan/"}],"bottleneck":[{"id":"b-funding-allocation","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Funding follows fashion, not burden","route":"/bottlenecks/b-funding-allocation/"},{"id":"b-misinformation","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Misinformation and unproven therapies","route":"/bottlenecks/b-misinformation/"},{"id":"b-global-access","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Most of the world has almost no cancer care","route":"/bottlenecks/b-global-access/"},{"id":"b-workforce","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Not enough oncologists, nurses, pathologists, physicists","route":"/bottlenecks/b-workforce/"},{"id":"b-palliative","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Pain relief and palliative care are unavailable to most","route":"/bottlenecks/b-palliative/"},{"id":"b-prevention-adoption","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Prevention we already have is not deployed","route":"/bottlenecks/b-prevention-adoption/"},{"id":"b-early-detection","kind":"bottleneck","name":"The hardest cancers are found late","route":"/bottlenecks/b-early-detection/"}],"technology":[{"id":"alcohol-reduction-labelling","kind":"technology","name":"Alcohol reduction, pricing and cancer warning labels","route":"/technologies/alcohol-reduction-labelling/"},{"id":"coffee-intake-cancer","kind":"technology","name":"Coffee and tea intake","route":"/technologies/coffee-intake-cancer/"},{"id":"global-oncology-access","kind":"technology","name":"Global oncology and access in low- and middle-income countries","route":"/technologies/global-oncology-access/"},{"id":"mediterranean-plant-forward-diet","kind":"technology","name":"Mediterranean and plant-forward dietary patterns","route":"/technologies/mediterranean-plant-forward-diet/"},{"id":"red-processed-meat-reduction","kind":"technology","name":"Red and processed meat reduction","route":"/technologies/red-processed-meat-reduction/"},{"id":"via-cervical-screening","kind":"technology","name":"Visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) for cervical screening","route":"/technologies/via-cervical-screening/"}],"term":[{"id":"alcohol-attributable-cancer","kind":"term","name":"Alcohol-attributable cancer","route":"/terms/alcohol-attributable-cancer/"},{"id":"tobacco-control-act","kind":"term","name":"Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act 2009","route":"/terms/tobacco-control-act/"},{"id":"obesity-related-cancers","kind":"term","name":"Obesity-related cancers (IARC list of 13)","route":"/terms/obesity-related-cancers/"},{"id":"tobacco-21","kind":"term","name":"Tobacco 21","route":"/terms/tobacco-21/"}],"institution":[{"id":"cancer-institute-adyar","kind":"institution","name":"Cancer Institute (WIA), Adyar","route":"/institutions/cancer-institute-adyar/"},{"id":"tehran-cancer-institute","kind":"institution","name":"Cancer Institute of Iran, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex","route":"/institutions/tehran-cancer-institute/"},{"id":"centre-leon-berard","kind":"institution","name":"Centre Léon 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