On the 14th and 15th of February, the new European Guide on Quality Improvement in Comprehensive Cancer Control was officially presented during the final conference of the Joint Action on Cancer Control (CanCon) in Malta.
Joint Action on Cancer Control (CanCon) is a common effort between representatives from 17 EU Member States, co-funded by the European Commission (Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety). Cancon aimed to contribute in different ways to reducing the cancer burden in the EU by creating a European Guide on Quality Improvement in Comprehensive Cancer Control.
The European Cancer Patient Coalition was a key partner of CanCon, and contributed to the drafting of the guide and of the policy papers. ECPC was also invited to the final conference to present the patients’ perspective on the CanCon Guide and Policy Papers.was represented by Vice-President, Kathi Apostolidis, and Head of EU Affairs, Francesco Florindi.
The European Guide on Quality Improvement in Comprehensive Cancer Control presents key recommendations to potentiate EU countries’ capacity to fight cancer. The recommendations span the whole patient journey from prevention to treatment and survivorship. The Guide explains in detail which measures EU governments should implement to make National Cancer Control Plans more resilient and effective, focusing on key aspects of cancer care: integrated cancer control, community-level cancer control, survivorship and rehabilitation, screening. The Guide is meant for governments, parliamentarians, health care providers and funders, as well as cancer care professionals at every level.
The effects of the economic crisis have exacerbated the existing, inacceptable inequalities in cancer care and survivorship in Europe. CanCon recognised these issues and brought together all stakeholders in cancer control to define reliable solutions.
Together with the Guide, CanCon produced also five policy papers regarding hot topics of cancer policy selected and discussed by EU Member States with the support of top European experts on the individual topics.
The key future challenge for the European Cancer Patient Coalition will be now to ensure that these recommendations are implemented at the national level, as well as to well communicate the recommendations and spread them within our national networks, conscious that CanCon provides the best harmonised, shared and evidence-based plan to enhance our healthcare system’s capacity to fight cancer.
Additional materials:
European Guide on Quality Improvement in Comprehensive Cancer Control
The programme of the event in Malta
ECPC’s presentation for the final conference in Malta