The French government in March launched a new national plan to boost clinical, basic and epidemiologic cancer research. French President Jacques Chirac announced the unprecedented measure even as the government cut the country's science budget for the second time in six months.

The five-year national plan against cancer will set aside €11.5 million to coordinate research through the National Institute of Cancer (NIC), a new agency to be supervised by French health and science ministers. The government has said it will increase tobacco taxes to help finance the plan.

The NIC—to be launched next year—will be similar to the US National Cancer Institute and will be built near Paris, says David Khayat, head of medical oncology at the Paris-based Salpêtrière hospital. The plan is a “great opportunity for France,” says Khayat, adding that it will reorganize basic research in oncology. It is also expected to create 2,000 new research positions.

Central to the new scheme are the so-called 'cancéropôles', a network of research units that focus on a few cancer-related topics. The units will have links to cancer healthcare centers to gain access to cancer patients. Although cancéropôles will belong administratively to their home institution, they will have a special status and answer only to the NIC. The NIC will coordinate research in cancéropôles and boost collaborations with industry, particularly for clinical trials of new drugs.

The government also plans to create 80 tumor banks with at least 100,000 cancer samples for genetic tumor profiles. Researchers expect to begin assessing data in 2006. In addition to epidemiologic research, such as analysis of risk factors at several levels (environmental, nutritional, occupational and infectious), at least 10% of patients will benefit from clinical trials. The NIC will ensure a tight control of post-authorization studies of newly approved cancer drugs and enhance academic and hospital training in oncology. For example, the new plan aims to double the number of residents in medical oncology and radiotherapy by 2007.