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Dear ESOP Members,

We send you the latest ECCO Newsletter for your consideration.

We wish you enjoyable readings.

Best regards,

Eda Gedikoglu

Chair of Publication

For ECCO Member Societies and ECCO Patient Advisory Committee

In the News...

  • Summit: Member Spotlight OECI
  • Summit: First Feedback on Resolutions
  • Spread the Word on Quality Cancer Care
  • ECCO ERQCC Toolkit now available online
  • ECCO and ITN Productions collaboration: A New Era of Quality Cancer Care
  • President's Perspective on Outcomes-based healthcare: An important opportunity for multidisciplinary care?
  • MCCR Workshop: Highlights
  • IPAAC kicks off: Pancreatic cancer in focus
  • OPC Chair Prof Klaus Meier on the need for action on hazardous drugs 
  • International governments and NGOs gearing up for September High Level NCD meeting
  • Dates for your diary
  • #ICYMI: Cancer policy developments

Summit: Member Spotlight OECI

The newly elected President of the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI), Professor Thierry Philip, recently summarised some key points of interest for OECI and its membership in the ECCO 2018 European Cancer Summit, taking place in Vienna from 7th to 9th September:

“We have been delighted to be working with ECCO and other members in framing the vital part of the Summit programme which will make resolutions on the measurement of quality cancer care.

Whilst the evidence base of the effectiveness of different approaches to accreditation and measurement merits further research, the Summit (especially its formation of resolutions on the topic) can be an important springboard towards establishing a core set of quality and process indicators for cancer care in Europe. We hope all interested stakeholders can join OECI and ECCO for that discussion in Vienna.”

More information on the ECCO 2018 European Cancer Summit programme, including its session on quality cancer care, is available here.

Help us identify the key people in your particular cancer community who should attend the Summit. Send your suggestions to ecco@eccosummit.eu.

Summit: First feedback on draft resolutions

ECCO thanks all who have provided their feedback to the early draft Summit resolutions to be formed at the Summit on the topics of:

  • quality cancer care (measurement);
  • integrated cancer care; and,
  • survivorship (financial discrimination).

ECCO 2018 Save the date

Key points of feedback received from members of the ECCO Oncopolicy Committee, Patient Advisory Committee and Summit Societies’ Committee have included: 

  • Suggestions that the quality cancer care (measurements) resolutions focus more on encouraging the creation of an agreed set of core standards and evidence-based indicators, based on processes and patient outcomes;
  • Advice on terminology and the inclusion of caregivers within the integrated cancer care resolutions;
  • Recommendations for definition of terms within the Survivorship (financial discrimination) resolutions, to ensure all financial services intended to be covered by the resolutions are explicitly stated.

Further versions of the resolutions reflecting the feedback provided are being finalised and will be published on the ECCO Summit website for open public comment shortly.

Spread the word on quality cancer care!

The newly available ECCO ERQCC communication toolkit consolidates all available materials and offers suggestions to help ECCO member societies promote the ECCO Essential Requirements for Quality Cancer Care (ERQCC) and their respective profession’s contribution to Quality Cancer Care. The toolkit includes easily usable materials for social media, website and print publication use. 

Access the Toolkit here.

Thank you for helping to get the word out about the ECCO Essential Requirements for Quality Cancer Care, and the critical role of multidisciplinarity within that vision.

ECCO and ITN Productions producing 'a new era of cancer care'

ECCO and ITN Productions are producing a current affairs programme exploring the quality of cancer care across Europe, the issues relating to survivorship and the current concerns about cancer care funding.

‘A New Era in Cancer Care’ speaks to experts from across the cancer care continuum, highlighting to a broad public audience many of the key debates on cancer care policy that will be the basis of the ECCO 2018 European Cancer Summit.

For further information or to take part click here.

President's Perspective on outcomes-based healthcare: An important opportunity for multidisciplinary care?

Cancer care in Europe must meet its good news challenges - the good news that people are living longer; that scientific and medical advances are offering innovative treatment options not previously possible; and that professions across the cancer care continuum are developing increasing levels of specialisation. But this good news has implications for healthcare budgets. Continued improvement in cancer care may become stalled unless the health economics challenge of cancer care is met. Can the concept of outcomes-based healthcare provide a solution?

Is it something to welcome, or should we treat it rather with healthy scepticism? It is timely for all practitioners and stakeholders in cancer care to reflect on these questions.

Read the full ECCO President editorial published in the Summer edition of Cancerworld here.

IPAAC kicks off: Pancreatic cancer in focus

The latest EU ‘Joint Action’ on cancer control has now commenced its 3 year period of activities.

Entitled ‘the Innovative Partnership for Action Against Cancer’ (IPAAC), and coordinated by the National Institute of Public Health Slovenia (NIJZ), the main overall outcome to be delivered by the 24 involved partners is ‘A Roadmap on Implementation and Sustainability of Cancer Control Actions’.

Within this, work packages will, amongst many other tasks:

  • review and assess of the situation for neglected cancers with a special focus on pancreatic cancer;
  • identify the potential use and existing barriers for shared information systems and ‘big data’ in the context of MDTs; and
  • Identify evidence based guidelines and areas for improvement in guidelines implementation in respect to pain control and cancer.

ECCO will be assisting the Joint Action with the articulation of Essential Requirements for Quality Cancer Care: Pancreatic Cancer, survey activity in respect to MDT use of technology, and general dissemination and communication of Joint Action activities, outputs and outcomes.

More information about the Joint Action at ipaac.eu.

OPC Chair Prof Klaus Meier on the need for action on hazardous drugs

In the context of the present revisions proposed to the EU’s Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive, ECCO Oncopolicy Committee (OPC) Chair and President of the European Society of Oncology Pharmacy (ESOP) Professor Klaus Meier has made representations about the Directive’s potential coverage of hazardous drugs, such as those used in cytotoxic chemotherapy. Responding to amendments proposed in the European Parliament, Professor Meier has underlined to decision-makers on the legislative file that cytotoxic safety is a real and present occupational health concern for hospital workers and patients across Europe, deserving of further national and pan-national attention.

Klaus Meier

However, the available solutions to improve cytotoxic safety are multi-dimensional and include the need to heighten awareness, improve education, and ensure well-developed and implemented working procedures. Moreover, further independent research is required to gain a fuller understanding of which improvement efforts are most effective. 

Professor Meier’s representations have been supported by the European Oncology Nursing Society (EONS), the European Society for Paediatric Oncology (SIOPE) and the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP).

Organisations seeking further information on this topic, and/or wishing to support the representations should contact richard.price@ecco-org.eu.

International governments and NGOs gearing up for September High Level NCD meeting

ECCO, via its involvement with the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), is being kept briefed and included in the cancer community’s representations in respect to the forthcoming High Level Meeting of the United Nations on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), taking place on 27th September. The stated aim of the meeting is to bring Governments from around the world together to undertake “a comprehensive review of the global and national progress achieved in putting measures in place that protect people from preventable suffering and early death from heart and lung diseases, cancers, diabetes, and mental health.”

UICC is working with its members to help ensure that outcomes and commitments from the meeting can be as strong as practicable, including:

  • further encouragement for all countries to implement robust prevention policies such as HPV vaccination, tobacco control, and fiscal measures to reduce alcohol and sugar consumption;
  • Improving access and investment in early detection, and multi-modal treatment and care for cancer and other NCDs; and, 
  • stronger levels of accountability at regional, national and international levels for combatting NCDs, including via better use of data, and publication of cancer (and other disease) plans;

Individuals and organisations seeking to contribute to the UN HLM may contact tasker@uicc.org for further information.

More information about the meeting here.

20 edition of the MCCR Workshop developing a robust, expanding base of well-trained clinical researchers

On 16-22 June 2018, ECCO, AACR, EORTC and ESMO organised the 20th edition of the annual Workshop on Methods in Clinical Cancer Research in Zeist, the Netherlands. Hundreds of students over the years have successfully learned the essentials of clinical trial design thanks to this Workshop and this edition was no exception.

Under the guidance of the Workshop Directors –  Stefan Sleijfer, Lee M. Ellis, Corneel Coens and Emiliano Calvo – along with other leading clinical experts in the field of oncology, the MCCR Workshop participants completed their trial protocols and are now expected to make every effort to implement them. Study concepts were rigorously vetted and scrutinised at all stages; starting from assessing the key clinical question and finishing with addressing post-protocol management issues. The Workshop is frequently described as an intensive experience by both faculty and fellows committed to advance cancer research and address daily practice challenges.


Watch the 20th Anniversary video here

The MCCR Workshop Awards were given to:

  • Outstanding Mentor Award: 
    Dr Gabe Sonke, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • Outstanding Biostatistician Mentor: 
    Dr Yu Shyr, Vanderbilt University Medical Centre, Nashville, USA  
    Dr Sarah Brown, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
  • Innovative Protocol Award: 
    Dr Caterina Aversa, Royal Marsden Hospital and The Institute of Cancer Research, London UK
    Dr Capucine Baldini, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
    Dr Michael Skwarski, CRUK/MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, UK

The 21st edition of the ECCO-AACR-EORTC-ESMO Workshop on Methods in Clinical Cancer Research will take place on 15-21 June 2019 in Zeist, the Netherlands.

To learn more about the MCCR Workshop click here.

Dates for your diary

 

  • 7-9 September 2018: ECCO 2018 European Cancer Summit. More information here.
  • 25 September 2018: SIOPE Celebrating 20 years of progress in paediatric haemato-oncology in Europe. More information here
  • 27 September 2018:United Nations High-level Meeting on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). More information here.
  • Until 28 Sep 2018: Invitation to express interest for Breast Cancer Services and stakeholders. More information here.
  • 10-12 October 2018: ESSO 38, Budapest, Hungary. More information here.
  • 25-27 October 2018: European Conference of Oncology Pharmacy, Nantes, France. More information here.
  • 13-16 November 2018: EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium, Dublin, Ireland. More information here 

#ICYMI: Cancer policy developments

Keep up to date with breaking cancer news via ECCO’s ‘This Week in EU Cancer Policy News

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