Algeria has officially approved its National Cancer Plan 2035, marking a major milestone in the country’s long-term approach to cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and healthcare system organization.
Presented during the Council of Ministers meeting chaired by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the strategy was developed by the National Commission for Cancer Prevention and Control under the leadership of Professor Adda Bounedjer.
The national plan reflects a shift toward a more structured and system-oriented vision of oncology care, integrating public health policy, healthcare infrastructure, pharmaceutical governance, prevention, and research into a unified national framework. The strategy comes at a critical time for cancer control in Algeria. According to GLOBOCAN 2022 estimates referenced in the national strategy, Algeria recorded 64,713 new cancer cases in 2022, compared with 27,775 in 2000, reflecting a substantial increase in the national cancer burden over the past two decades. The age-standardized incidence rate reached 141.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, while mortality was estimated at 77 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.
Breast cancer remains the most frequently diagnosed cancer in Algeria, followed by colorectal, lung, and prostate cancers. Together, these malignancies account for a substantial proportion of the national cancer burden and illustrate the need for a comprehensive strategy encompassing prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment.
Algeria is also undergoing a demographic and epidemiological transition characterized by population aging, increasing life expectancy, and a growing burden of non-communicable diseases. These trends are expected to further increase cancer incidence over the coming decades, making long-term planning essential for healthcare sustainability.
Structured around five major strategic axes and supported by multiple operational indicators, the National Cancer Plan 2035 aims to strengthen cancer control while improving equity, efficiency, and sustainability across the healthcare system.
Axis 1: Prevention
Prevention represents one of the central pillars of the National Cancer Plan 2035 and reflects growing recognition that reducing cancer burden requires action before disease onset.
This axis is particularly important in the Algerian context because many of the factors expected to drive future cancer incidence are potentially modifiable. The strategy recognizes that without stronger action on tobacco use, obesity, unhealthy dietary habits, physical inactivity, and infection-related cancers, the increasing cancer burden may place growing pressure on healthcare resources in the coming decades.
Tobacco Control
Tobacco consumption remains one of the leading preventable causes of cancer worldwide. The strategy highlights the importance of reinforcing anti-smoking policies, public awareness campaigns, epidemiological surveillance, and prevention programs targeting both youth and adults.
Recommendations include stronger regulatory measures, increased taxation of tobacco products, restrictions on advertising and promotion, and enhanced protection against passive smoking.
Reducing smoking prevalence is expected to contribute significantly to lowering the incidence of lung cancer, head and neck cancers, bladder cancer, and several other tobacco-related malignancies.
Overweight, Obesity, and Nutrition
The strategy also addresses obesity and unhealthy diets as emerging public health concerns linked to multiple cancers, including breast, colorectal, endometrial, pancreatic, and liver cancers.
Planned initiatives include promoting nutritional education, encouraging healthy diets and physical activity, reducing the consumption of ultra-processed foods, and increasing public awareness of lifestyle-related cancer risks.
The strategy further proposes consideration of broader public health measures, including nutrition labeling, healthier food environments, and interventions aimed at reducing obesity prevalence at the population level.
HPV Prevention
Particular attention is given to human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers and cervical cancer prevention. The strategy highlights the importance of strengthening cervical cancer screening programs while exploring the integration of HPV vaccination into future national prevention efforts. This reflects a growing international consensus that cervical cancer is increasingly preventable through the combined use of vaccination and organized screening programs.
Overall, the prevention axis demonstrates a strategic commitment to shifting part of the national cancer response from treatment toward risk reduction and population health interventions.
Axis 2: Screening and Early Detection
The second major axis focuses on improving early cancer detection through organized screening programs and public awareness initiatives. This axis addresses one of the most important challenges facing cancer control in many middle-income countries: late-stage diagnosis. Patients frequently present with advanced disease, limiting therapeutic options, increasing treatment complexity, and negatively affecting survival outcomes. The strategy therefore seeks to improve access to screening and strengthen pathways that facilitate earlier diagnosis.
Breast Cancer Screening
Breast cancer remains the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women in Algeria. The strategy emphasizes strengthening screening access, improving public awareness, and facilitating earlier diagnosis through organized detection programs and enhanced healthcare engagement. Earlier detection is expected to increase the proportion of patients diagnosed at potentially curable stages while reducing the burden of advanced disease.
Cervical Cancer Screening
The strategy also reinforces cervical cancer screening efforts, particularly in the context of HPV prevention and women’s health initiatives. Improving participation in screening programs and ensuring access to diagnostic services represent key objectives for reducing preventable cervical cancer morbidity and mortality.
Colorectal Cancer Screening
Another important indicator included in the dashboard is colorectal cancer screening. The plan emphasizes earlier identification of high-risk individuals and improved diagnostic pathways to facilitate timely intervention and treatment. As colorectal cancer incidence continues to rise globally, strengthening screening programs is expected to play an increasingly important role in national cancer control efforts.
Prostate Cancer Detection
Prostate cancer awareness and detection are also included among the national indicators. Although screening strategies remain subject to international debate, the strategy recognizes the importance of improving awareness, risk assessment, and access to appropriate diagnostic evaluation. Beyond individual screening programs, this axis highlights the importance of reducing diagnostic delays and improving healthcare accessibility as key determinants of patient outcomes.
Axis 3: Diagnosis and Access to Oncology Infrastructure
The third strategic axis focuses on strengthening diagnostic capabilities and expanding access to specialized oncology infrastructure nationwide. Despite significant progress in oncology services over recent years, disparities in access to diagnostic technologies and specialized cancer care remain an important challenge. This axis aims to improve geographical equity, strengthen healthcare infrastructure, and facilitate access to modern diagnostic tools that increasingly guide treatment decisions.
Diagnostic Imaging Capacity
The dashboard includes indicators related to imaging equipment and radiological capacity. Improving access to modern imaging technologies is essential for accurate diagnosis, disease staging, treatment planning, and multidisciplinary decision-making.
Biomarker Testing and Precision Oncology
The strategy also highlights the growing importance of biomarker testing and molecular diagnostics in modern oncology practice. Expanding access to biomarker analysis may facilitate more personalized therapeutic approaches and support the progressive integration of precision oncology into routine clinical care.
Access to Innovative Cancer Therapies
Another major indicator involves access to novel anticancer medicines. As oncology continues to evolve through targeted therapies, immunotherapy, and precision medicine, ensuring equitable access to innovative therapies while maintaining healthcare sustainability represents a growing challenge worldwide. The strategy recognizes the need to strengthen access to modern therapies while optimizing resource allocation.
Radiotherapy Infrastructure
Radiotherapy remains a cornerstone of cancer treatment for many malignancies. The National Cancer Plan therefore includes indicators related to radiotherapy equipment and infrastructure development, with the objective of reducing treatment delays and improving nationwide access.
Cancer Care Facilities and Workforce
Additional indicators focus on oncology facilities and healthcare workforce development. The strategy emphasizes strengthening oncology services across all regions of the country while improving multidisciplinary coordination among healthcare professionals. This reflects recognition that expanding infrastructure alone is insufficient without adequate investment in human resources and specialized expertise.
Axis 4: Therapeutic Management and Patient Pathways
Improving patient pathways and continuity of care represents another central component of the National Cancer Plan 2035. The strategy recognizes that oncology outcomes depend not only on treatment availability but also on healthcare organization, coordination, and treatment continuity. This axis seeks to address challenges such as fragmented care pathways, delays between diagnosis and treatment initiation, and variations in access to supportive services.Among the priorities discussed are multidisciplinary coordination, optimization of treatment pathways, reduction of delays between diagnosis and therapy, strengthening patient-centered care.
Pharmaceutical Governance and Drug Availability
Particular attention has been given to pharmaceutical governance and anticancer drug availability. During the national preparatory sessions held in 2025, discussions involving healthcare professionals, pharmacists, and policymakers highlighted the importance of continuity of treatment supply, medication safety, optimization of procurement procedures, pharmaceutical governance and patient safety in oncology practice.
The strategy includes the creation of a national mechanism responsible for supervising the availability and distribution of anticancer medicines in order to optimize therapeutic resources and reduce supply disruptions.
Palliative Care
The dashboard additionally includes palliative care services among its key indicators. This reflects increasing recognition that comprehensive cancer care extends beyond curative treatment and must also include symptom control, psychosocial support, quality-of-life interventions, and end-of-life care when appropriate. The inclusion of palliative care highlights a broader patient-centered approach to oncology management.
Axis 5: Research and Training
The final axis focuses on oncology education, scientific research, and development of healthcare competencies. The inclusion of research and training as a dedicated strategic axis reflects recognition that sustainable cancer control depends not only on infrastructure and medicines but also on human capital.
The strategy emphasizes strengthening oncology training programs, supporting multidisciplinary education, encouraging scientific research, improving integration between academic and clinical oncology.
Developing local research capacity is increasingly viewed as essential for adapting international evidence to national healthcare realities and improving the sustainability of cancer care systems.
As oncology rapidly evolves through precision medicine, molecular diagnostics, targeted therapies, and immunotherapy, continuous professional development will be essential to ensure that scientific advances translate into meaningful improvements in patient outcomes.
The strategy therefore places research and training at the heart of future oncology development in Algeria.
Toward a More Coordinated Oncology System
Beyond its individual indicators and strategic axes, Algeria’s National Cancer Plan 2035 reflects a broader transformation in the organization of cancer care. Rather than focusing exclusively on therapeutic access, the strategy adopts a comprehensive systems-based approach integrating prevention, governance, infrastructure, pharmaceutical security, education, research, and patient-centered care. Importantly, the plan also reflects a multisectoral vision involving healthcare institutions, academic organizations, policymakers, researchers, pharmacists, civil society stakeholders, and international partners.
From a global oncology perspective, this approach aligns with contemporary cancer control frameworks that emphasize prevention, early diagnosis, equitable access to care, and sustainable healthcare planning.
Ultimately, Algeria’s National Cancer Plan 2035 represents an ambitious effort to build a more organized, equitable, resilient, and sustainable oncology system capable of addressing future healthcare challenges while improving outcomes for patients across the country.
Written by Dr. Imene Hadji and Prof. Adda Bounedjar