About IKNL

Netherlands comprehensive cancer organisation (IKNL) is the quality institute for oncological and palliative research and practice. IKNL collaborates with healthcare professionals and managers and patients on the continuous improvement of oncological and palliative care. With data from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR), we enable health care professionals, policy makers and others to reflect on cancer care and prevention. 

Improved technologies and medicines are leading to new treatments in oncological and palliative care. This demands further specialisation on the part of professionals and sets higher requirements for their collaboration. At the same time, there is a growing demand for transparency regarding the effectiveness and efficiency of treatments, such as the responsible use of new medicines.

As the knowledge and quality institute for oncological and palliative care, IKNL responds to these changes. We collaborate on continuously improving the quality of oncological and palliative care. IKNL assists in policy-making and the development of creating networks such as the Comprehensive Cancer Networks (CCNs) and consortia for palliative care.

IKNL participates and delivers facts and figures from the NCR for the public website kanker.nl that is consulted 80.000 times per month.  

Research

Data from the NCR currently are used in over 200 publications per year in peer reviewed medical journals and have a proven impact on cancer. For example, quality improvement based on insights from the NCR resulted in decreased postoperative hospital mortality rates, being most outspoken for patients with pancreatic cancer: from 24 to 4%. The NCR is also used as a primary source for evaluating effectiveness of treatment. Prediction models based on NCR data help individual patients and care professionals in shared decision making. 

IKNL's clinical trials office supports more than 30 clinical trials each year, including more than 2500 patients in clinical trials. 

Europe's Beating Cancer Plan

IKNL is one of the driving forces behind the Dutch 'Cancer Hub' within the ECHoS project, embedded in the Dutch Cancer Collective. At the moment, the focus of the Dutch Cancer Collective is on drawing up the ‘Dutch Cancer Agenda’. With this agenda the Dutch collective can position itself within Europe's Beating Cancer Plan.

The Dutch Cancer Agenda:

  • Sets goals for the stages ‘life before, with and after cancer’
  • Creates an overview of the most important initiatives in The Netherlands
  • Accelerates and connects existing initiatives
  • Prioritizes goals and describes a concrete approach
  • Increases attention to underexposed themes
  • Ensures that all initiatives are moving in the same direction 

The Dutch Cancer Agenda will be launched on November 27.

More information