Bridging science and action: celebrating 60 years of the IARC and looking ahead.

Sixty years ago, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) was founded with a bold mission: to bridge research and action for global cancer prevention and to unite scientists, institutions, and countries in a shared effort to understand, prevent, and ultimately reduce the global burden of cancer. Today, as the Agency marks its 60th anniversary, that mission has never been more urgent. The global cancer burden is rising rapidly, projected to nearly double by 2050, and the world faces complex challenges—persistent health inequalities, rapid urbanization, climate change, digital transformation, and the expanding influence of commercial determinants on health. Yet, the promise of prevention has never been clearer: up to half of cancers can be prevented through action on known risk factors and the scaling of proven interventions. Cancer prevention is not only a public health imperative but also a smart investment, delivering measurable returns in lives saved, productivity gained, and health systems strengthened. Over 6 decades, IARC has evolved from a pioneering research institute into a globally recognized leader in cancer prevention research. As the specialized Agency on cancer research of the World Health Organization (WHO) within the United Nations system, it holds a unique position of trust, credibility, unparalleled convening power, and access to global health networks. Its journey has been shaped by the changing landscape of cancer etiology and burden—and, in turn, IARC has helped shape that landscape, setting global standards for cancer registration, leading global understanding of cancer etiology, risk factors, and prevention strategies, building capacity, and guiding policy worldwide. IARC transforms research into global public goods—data, standards, tools, and knowledge—that guide governments, WHO, and partners worldwide. The manuscripts brought together in this issue of JNCI Monographs reflect the breadth, depth, and continued relevance of IARC’s research and prevention activities as the Agency enters its seventh decade. Taken together, they illustrate IARC’s integrated strategy across the full cancer research continuum: generating robust data to inform action, advancing understanding of cancer causes, translating knowledge into prevention, and mobilizing evidence to inform global policy and practice. The contributions span global cancer surveillance, methodological and conceptual advances in epidemiology, mechanistic insights into carcinogenesis, and the development and evaluation of prevention strategies across diverse populations and settings. They also highlight IARC’s unique role in knowledge synthesis, hazard identification, classification, and capacity building, underscoring the Agency’s enduring international mandate and its commitment to equitable cancer prevention worldwide. Since its founding in 1965, IARC’s mission has been clear: to bridge research and action for global cancer prevention. The Agency’s integrated 4-pillar scientific model—data, discovery, prevention, and knowledge—has delivered lasting value for the global cancer ecosystem. IARC’s Flagships, such as the Global Cancer Observatory,1,2 the IARC Monographs,3,4 and the World Code Against Cancer Framework,5,6 have become international benchmarks, guiding governments, WHO, and partners in designing evidence-based policies and interventions for primary and secondary prevention of cancer. Over the past 6 decades, IARC’s research has driven major shifts in global cancer prevention and policy. Landmark findings, such as the effectiveness of a single-dose HPV vaccine, have reshaped vaccination strategies worldwide, making cervical cancer prevention more feasible and equitable, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Beyond HPV, the Agency’s epidemiological and mechanistic research has clarified links between environmental, occupational, lifestyle, and infectious exposures and cancer, transforming how risks are assessed and managed worldwide. Its Monographs program has rigorously evaluated hundreds of substances, from tobacco and asbestos to alcohol and processed meat, providing authoritative evidence on carcinogenic hazards. The Agency’s commitment to capacity-building has strengthened research infrastructure in over 120 countries, half of which are low- and middle-income, ensuring that advances in cancer prevention reach those who need them most, like IARC’s multinational study on determinants of the poor survival after breast cancer in sub-Saharan Africa evolving into WHO’s Global Breast Cancer Initiative.7 The world cannot afford to take IARC’s role for granted. Demand for IARC’s science has never been higher, yet structural underfunding threatens the Agency’s ability to respond when the world needs it most. A strong, well-resourced IARC is essential to meet the growing demand for evidence, guidance, and coordinated action. Its unique position allows it to bridge science and policy, convene global partners, and translate knowledge into impact—faster, smarter, and more equitably than ever before. Without IARC, the world would lack a trusted arbiter of cancer research, a hub for collaboration, and a mechanism for turning scientific discovery into real-world prevention, leaving millions at risk unnecessarily. This special issue of JNCI highlights the Agency’s enduring contributions and its bold vision for the future. The articles collected here showcase the breadth and depth of IARC’s research—from surveillance and discovery of cancer causes to prevention, implementation, knowledge synthesis, and capacity-building. They reflect the Agency’s commitment to scientific excellence, independence, collaboration, and equity. But this is more than a commemoration. It is an opportunity to recognize past achievements and anticipate future challenges. As IARC looks to the next 60 years, the challenge is clear: can cancer prevention keep pace with a rising global burden? In May 2026, the International Conference “Cancer Research into Action” in Lyon will bring together leading scientists, public health experts, policymakers, and partners to confront this question. IARC stands ready to lead with science, collaborate with purpose, and act with urgency—because bridging research and action is not only the Agency’s mission, it is the world’s imperative. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the authors who contributed to this special issue. Their expertise, dedication, and thoughtful input have been invaluable in shaping the content and advancing the mission of cancer prevention and research. We thank each contributor for their commitment to scientific excellence and for sharing their knowledge and insights with the global community. Where authors are identified as personnel of the International Agency for Research on Cancer/World Health Organization, the authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this article and they do not necessarily represent the decisions, policy, or views of the International Agency for Research on Cancer/World Health Organization. The study sponsors had no role in the design of the study; the collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data; or the writing of the manuscript. Veronique Chajes (Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing), Elisabete Weiderpass (Writing—review & editing), Clement Chauvet (Conceptualization, Writing—review & editing), Mary Schubauer-Berigan (Conceptualization, Writing—review & editing), Joachim Schüz (Conceptualization, Writing—review & editing), Dorothy Keefe (Writing—review & editing), Sirpa Heinävaara (Writing—review & editing), and Young-Woo Kim (Writing—review & editing) None declared. This article appears as part of the monograph “IARC@60,” sponsored by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Dr Schüz, who is a JNCI Associate Editor and co-author on this paper, was not involved in the editorial review or decision to publish the manuscript. No data were analyzed in this article.