Abstract 49: Lessons Learned from the Joint IAEA, IARC and WHO Support to Develop National Cancer Control Plans in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Abstract Purpose: The IAEA, IARC and WHO assist countries in building and strengthening their cancer control capacity. This support includes guidance to Member States to set priorities for national cancer control; developing, adopting and strengthening diagnostic imaging, nuclear medicine and radiotherapy; procurement of equipment; training; and support in the mobilization of resources to develop and implement National Cancer Control Plans (NCCPs). Between 2020 and 2023, 13 Low- and Middle- Income (LMICs) Member States have received support to review or develop a new strategy for cancer control. Our aim was to identify the lessons learned from the support UN agencies provide to develop NCCPs in LMICs. Methods: We developed a questionnaire based on a review of the NCCP literature to collect feedback from the 13 Member States that received UN agencies support between 2020 and 2023. We followed up by conducting semi-structured interviews with these countries. We queried how these NCCPs were developed based on five categories: ⁃ Leadership & Governance ⁃ Planning & Costing ⁃ Stakeholder Mapping & Engagement ⁃ Alignment with National and International Initiatives, Policies, Strategies, and Programmes related to cancer ⁃ Evidence-based NCCP development We also interviewed 5 IAEA Programme Officers who coordinated UN support, based on 4 categories: ⁃ UN role and responsibilities ⁃ Method or process used to develop the NCCP ⁃ Challenges for countries and UN agencies ⁃ Best practices We coded the transcripts inductively and performed a thematic analysis to group the codes into themes. Results: Three main themes were identified: coordination of NCCP development, method, and governance. Challenges and enablers to develop an NCCP were discussed for each theme, followed by recommendations for UN agencies and Member States receiving support. We selected Kenya as a case study to show an example of good practice. Conclusion: The lessons learned from the IAEA-IARC-WHO support to develop NCCPs will inform policies, programmes and practices in cancer control planning and implementation in LMICs with identification of enablers (e.g., engagement of civil society, State and non-State actors, budget allocation, political will) and barriers (e.g., lack of funding). It will also inform the development of a methodology for UN agencies to provide NCCP support to Members States. Citation Format: Lisa Montel, John Russell, Arsen Juric, Geraldine Arias de Goebl, Mary Nyangasi, Issimouha Dille Mahamadou, Sharon Katai Kapambwe, Andre Carvalho, Valerian Mwenda, Lisa Stevens. Lessons Learned from the Joint IAEA, IARC and WHO Support to Develop National Cancer Control Plans in Low- and Middle-Income Countries [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 13th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research; 2025 Sep 16. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2025;34(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 49.