A number of major national, regional and international organizations convened by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) are rallying around an ambitious project to increase the capacity of resource-constrained countries to produce reliable information to guide cancer control interventions.

Institutional and individual supporters of the Global Initiative for Cancer Registry Development in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (GICR) increase steadily as GICR gains visibility through the activities carried out by its regional hubs.

Three regional hubs have been established since the launch of GICR in November 2011:

• Regional hub for South, South-East, and East Asia based at Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai (India), operational since 2011
• Regional hub for Western Asia and Northern Africa based at Izmir Cancer Registry (Turkey), operational in the second half of 2012
• Regional network hub for sub-Saharan Africa, in collaboration with the African Cancer Registry Network, operational in the second half of 2012

Negotiations are ongoing for the setup of the regional hub for Latin America and the Caribbean, foreseen to become operational in 2013.

The Advisory Group guiding this initiative is currently composed of the American Cancer Society (USA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USA), the International Association of Cancer Registries, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the National Cancer Institute (USA), the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Union for International Cancer Control, as well as IARC. The Advisory Group meets on a monthly basis by teleconference, and once a year in person.

A Technical Group, formed by the principal investigators of the regional hubs, ensures tailored and coordinated implementation of GICR activities in the field.