Key Characteristics-associated End-points for Evaluating Mechanistic Evidence of Carcinogenic Hazards

An IARC Monographs Technical Report

We are pleased to announce the publication of a new Technical Report by the IARC Monographs programme.

Since its implementation in 2014, the framework for the key characteristics (KCs) of carcinogens has been shown to be a valuable tool for cancer hazard identification and has been applied to the evaluation of about 100 agents during IARC Monographs meetings.

The insights obtained from the application of the KCs framework were discussed with 29 scientists from eight countries during the IARC Scientific Workshop “Key Characteristics-associated End-points for Evaluating Mechanistic Evidence of Carcinogenic Hazards”, which was held on 25–28 July 2023, in Lyon. The results of this meeting have been previously summarized in an article by DeMarini et al. (2025).

This technical report presents expert opinions on three major themes relative to the application of the 10 key characteristics (KCs) of carcinogens framework: (1) interpretation and relevance of end-points that form the basis of the KCs; (2) incorporation of data from high-content and high-throughput assays; and (3) integration of the mechanistic evidence into the overall evaluation of cancer hazard.

This publication is expected to support future working groups of experts in the reporting and interpretation of results under the KCs framework, and advance mechanistic evidence evaluation within the IARC Monographs programme, as well as in other contexts.

IARC (2025). Key Characteristics-associated End-points for Evaluating Mechanistic Evidence of Carcinogenic Hazards. IARC Monographs Technical Report. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Read the report