This project titled Mapping the Evidence for the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Tumours: a Living Evidence Gap Map by Tumour Type (WCT EVI MAP), led by researchers of the WHO Classification of Tumours (WCT) programme at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), has received a grant of €3.5 million from the European Commission and has been developed under the umbrella of the International Collaboration for Cancer Classification and Research (IC³R).

This 4-year project, which is being undertaken in collaboration with six other international institutions, was launched on 1 July 2022.

The principal aim of the WCT EVI MAP project is to synthesize the existing evidence on cancer classification research to produce evidence gap maps (EGMs) for all known tumour types. These EGMs will make all the available evidence accessible, to inform the WHO Classification of Tumours, guide research efforts in all relevant fields of cancer research, and improve evidence-based practices within the broad community of scientists, clinicians, and decision-makers. This mapping exercise will emphasize existing evidence gaps and identify pockets of low-level evidence, as well as the overall quality level of the existing evidence. The final deliverable will be an open-access online tool that displays the results in an interactive way, enabling users to filter information tailored to their needs.

Improving cancer classification has a crucial impact on patient care, diagnosis, and treatment by informing decision-making processes with the best available evidence. By adapting the EGM methodology to the biomedical field, the WCT EVI MAP project is expected to promote the application of higher research standards in the field and to inspire researchers from other areas of public health to undertake similar projects.