INTER-LOCAL – International Call for Better Local Treatment of Rare and/or Hard-to-Treat Cancers

Joint European funding initiative between Sweden, Norway, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands for supporting late-phase international clinical trials of innovative surgery or radiotherapy interventions for rare and hard-to-treat cancers.

INTER-LOCAL is a joint funding initiative by Cancerfonden (Swedish Cancer Society), Kreftforeningen (Norwegian Cancer Society), Fundación Científica Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (FCAECC – Scientific Foundation of the Spanish Association Against Cancer), Kom op tegen Kanker (Stand up to Cancer, Belgium) and KWF Kankerbestrijding (KWF – Dutch Cancer Society). The initiative aims to stimulate cross-border clinical trials that focus on innovative local therapies in the domain of surgery and radiotherapy.

The INTER-LOCAL call supports late-phase (phase 2/3), international clinical trials focused on local treatment interventions for rare and/or hard-to-treat cancers. Eligible proposals must demonstrate:

• A clear focus on rare cancers (incidence <6/100,000 / year) and/or hard-to-treat cancers with low survival rates (5-year-survival < 25%) .
• Use of radiotherapy or surgery as the core experimental intervention.
• A strong rationale for international collaboration, including patient recruitment, harmonization of protocols, and implementation of results.
• A robust plan for patient involvement, quality-of-life assessment, and long-term impact.