On the 21st October 2016, ECPC held the first meeting of the Working Group on Rare Cancers (WGRC) in the ECPC premises. The meeting, chaired by Jana Pelouchova, ECPC General Secretariat and CML patient, gathered 25 participants from 21 organisations representing 13 countries.
Among the participants was Dr. Annalisa Trama, invited to talk about the Joint Action on Rare Cancers. The meeting was also attended by ECPC President Prof. De Lorenzo, Director Dr. Lydia Makaroff, and ECPC’s 2016 Project Coordinator Kalliopi Christoforidi.
During the meeting, members of the WGRC introduced themselves and their organisations and shared with ECPC their priorities and challenges they face in their respective countries with regards rare cancers. ECPC director, Dr. Lydia Makaroff, shared with the participants an overview of the activities going on in rare cancers in Europe, namely introducing the European Reference Networks (ERNs), Rare Cancers Europe (RCE) and the Joint Action on Rare Cancers (JARC), explaining the relationship within the different initiatives.
Dr. Annalisa Trama presented an overview of the Joint Action on Rare Cancers, from the definition of a Joint Action to the overall objectives of the JARC. Dr. Trama’s presentation was followed by the presentation of Kalliopi Christoforidi on the ECPC specific activities within the JARC in each of the 10 Work Packages. Taking each Work Package at a time, WGRC members started a discussion on the tasks to be carried out and agreed on some action points.
