(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 13 NOV - In 2022, the European Union recorded 1.29 million cancer deaths, accounting for almost a quarter of all deaths that year. Cancer mortality rates vary significantly between member countries: from 331 per 100,000 inhabitants in Poland to 209 in Malta, a difference of 1.6 times. The data, presented at the EUnetCCC Annual Meeting 2025, which brought together over 160 partners from 31 countries, was compiled by Diego Serraino, epidemiologist and senior consultant at Alleanza Contro il Cancro, the National Cancer Network of the Ministry of Health, based on the Ecir and Ecis registries. In Italy, the cancer mortality rate stands at 256 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, 3.1% lower than the European average. This figure corresponds to approximately 6,800 fewer deaths than would be expected based on the continental average. The analysis shows how socioeconomic disparities between European countries still have a profound impact on citizens' health outcomes. "The numbers matter," Serraino noted, "because they reveal inequalities, and only by understanding them can we reduce them. The goal of 90% equitable access to care remains distant but not unattainable." The presentation is part of the EUnetCCC Joint Action, supported by the EU4Health program and part of the European Beating Cancer Plan (EBCP), which aims to ensure that by 2030, nine out of ten cancer patients have access to high-quality care regardless of their country of residence. (ANSA).