National cancer control planning is a process a country engages in to create strategic partnerships to effect policy and program changes aimed at lowering a country’s cancer risk factors and cancer burden and improving population health.
Central to planning is the development and implementation of a national cancer control plan (NCCP). The cultural and collaborative context wherein these plans are formed and implemented is as critical as the plans themselves. The process of creating an NCCP uses a “whole-of-society” approach that takes time because it involves multisectoral partners who have different perspectives and interests, and might not normally collaborate with one another.
Government support through legislation for broad-based cancer control that is fully supported by civil society, professionals and the public is essential. Such policies include universal health care, tobacco control policies, and social policy reforms (Chokshi & Farley, NEJM 2012.) Resources to assist countries in creating, revising, implementing, or evaluating an NCCP are available through the ICCP web portal at www.iccp-portal.org.