North-south cancer research collaboration

Government, clinical, research, and policy leaders have agreed that closer north-south collaboration on cancer data is essential to reducing the disease burden across the island of Ireland.

At the All-Island Cancer Data Forum 2026, which took place in Belfast under the eHealth Hub for Cancer, stakeholders from Northern Ireland and the Republic agreed to advance cooperation on data standards, governance, and digital infrastructure.

Cancer accounts for approximately 30 per cent of all deaths across the island. In the Republic, age-standardised cancer incidence stands at approximately 640 cases per 100,000 population annually (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer), one of the highest rates in Europe. Mortality is estimated at around 260 deaths per 100,000 population.

In Northern Ireland, approximately 10,300 new cancer cases are diagnosed annually in a population of 1.9 million. Age-standardised mortality is estimated at approximately 240 deaths per 100,000 population. While survival outcomes are improving in both jurisdictions, variation persists by cancer type, deprivation, and stage at diagnosis.

Participants at the Forum endorsed Harnessing Cancer Data for Better Health, a seven-point roadmap designed to position the island as a global leader in cancer data innovation. Central to the plan is the establishment of an All-Island Cancer Data Innovation Co-Centre.

Strategic priorities include:

• alignment of data standards to enable interoperability across jurisdictions;
• strengthening of data governance frameworks;
• development of shared infrastructure for genomics and tumour imaging data;
• improved coordination of clinical trial enrolment; and
• enhanced integration of treatment and outcomes data.

The initiative is led by the eHealth Hub for Cancer, a joint programme between Queen’s University Belfast and University of Limerick.

Unless addressed through coordinated action, the number of new cancer diagnoses across the island is projected to increase substantially by 2045, driven primarily by population ageing and rising risk factors.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt MLA welcomed the commitment to collaboration, saying: “Our recent successful implementation of the encompass programme across Northern Ireland is already driving a digital transformation across our health service.”

Mark Lawler, Professor of Digital Health at Queen’s University Belfast, says that Ireland’s cancer mortality rate remains above the EU average and requires coordinated intervention across both jurisdictions.

Aedín Culhane, Professor of Cancer Genomics at University of Limerick, emphasises that trusted and interoperable data standards are fundamental to accelerating innovation while ensuring patient privacy and security.