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Tobacco Products Directive. European Parliament vote is a black day for women's health |
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European Institute of Women's Health issued a Press Release explaining the impact on the rising burden of lung cancer in women and commenting on the European Parliament decision regarding the Tobacco Products Directive.
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Cancer World Newsletter - Radiotherapy capacity across Europe: what it should be, and what it is |
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How do you convince hard-pressed health authorities that it is worth investing in radiotherapy facilities?
Two initiatives that could help are examined in this Spotlight article. The first provides hard evidence
about the alarming variations in capacity across Europe, the other offers a model for assessing the cost
and cost-effectiveness of upgrading and expanding capacity.
What do you think?
- Do governments/healthcare providers listen when a strong case is made for investing in badly
needed facilities?
- Should cost-effectiveness analysis be applied more widely to guide the way scarce health
resources are spent?
You can read the article here. Press the comment button at the end and share your views.
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Cancer World Newsletter - A calculated choice: The role of decision-making tools in personalising treatment |
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Tailoring treatment options to the disease and the patient in front of you is becoming too big a job for
one brain, which is why doctors are increasingly using computer aids to decision making.
This Cutting Edge article looks at the proliferation of these sorts of online tools. It hears from oncologists
who argue that it is now unethical not to use them in reaching complex treatment decisions, and it asks
what sort of validation should be required before new tools can be trusted.
What do you think?
- Do you welcome tools that integrate all the staging, grading, genomic, imaging and side effects
data for you?
- Is it an abdication of responsibility, turning the art of medicine into a process of number crunching?
- Which tools do you trust and why?
You can read the article here. Press the comment button at the end and share your views.
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Cancer World Newsletter - Jim Watson: DNA revealed the causes, it may never reveal a cure |
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Sixty years after his epochal co-discovery of the double helix structure of DNA, Jim Watson, the
surviving member of the Watson and Crick duo, tells Cancer World why he doubts that targeting the
genetic mutations that drive cancers will ever lead to the breakthrough treatments we need, and
why he is calling on the cancer community to be more open-minded towards alternative strategies
that he thinks could yield dividends within the next five to ten years.
What do you think?
• Are we betting too heavily on targeted therapies, given their poor track record to date?
• Are we failing to follow up a growing body of evidence that suggests changes in the metabolism
of stressed cells could be an Achilles heel common to all cancer cells, no matter how mutated?
You can read the article here. Press the comment button at the end and share your views.
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Health-EU newsletter 114 - Focus EU Actions to fight obesity and to promote healthier lifestyles |
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By, Philippe Roux, Head of Unit, DG SANCO, Unit C4, Health Determinants
We only need to look at the figures and the expanding waist lines of Europe to see that obesity is increasing. Childhood obesity is a particularly worrying trend, which in turn can lead to a life time of health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and other major chronic diseases.
On average across European Union Member States, 17% of the adult population is obese. Fifty two per cent of the European adult population is considered overweight or obese. This means that one in two adults and nearly one in every three children are overweight or obese.
The European Union is actively engaged in the fight against obesity. One of the key ways the European Commission delivers on this is through the Strategy for Europe on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity-related Health issues and the implementing instruments High Level Group on Nutrition and Physical Activity and the EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health.
The Strategy recently underwent an independent external evaluation to determine its effectiveness and to what extent it has achieved its aims to promote healthier lifestyles.
The evaluation report supported continuation of the Strategy and the implementation of its instruments. Findings also stressed that continued coordination at EU-level by the Commission is necessary to increase policy developments and actions. It was also found that DG SANCO has successfully integrated Nutrition and Physical Activity concerns into other EU policies.
At the Joint High Level Group and Platform meeting in June 2013, Commissioner Borg confirmed continuation of the Strategy, and going forward, the Commission has identified lower socio-economic groups and children as target groups for action, as well as a greater focus on the promotion of physical activity.
Members of the High Level Group have also committed to increasing their efforts to stop the worrying obesity trends through an Action Plan on childhood obesity, which they will discuss in November 2013.
Read the full focus of this edition
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EU Health Prize for Journalists 2013 |
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The EU Health Prize for Journalists 2013 submission deadline is approaching (30 Sept), so remember to encourage your journalists to take part and submit their articles through our website http://ec.europa.eu/health-eu/journalist_prize/submit/index_en.htm
All details, including the link to the Journalist Prize website are available here: http://ec.europa.eu/health-eu/journalist_prize/index_en.htm
The winner of the EU Health Prize for Journalists will receive 6500 € and all national finalists will attend the award ceremony in the European Commission premises in Brussels!
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Cancer World Newsletter - Supporting patients in distress |
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The emotional and psychological impact of being diagnosed and treated for cancer can be at least
as severe as the toll the disease and treatment takes on a patient's physical health.Yet many patients
who need and could benefit from professional help, are being left to cope alone.
This editorial looks at the reasons behind this failure of care, and how we can do better to support
patients in severe distress.
What do you think?
- Do you assess distress levels in your patients as a matter of routine? If so, how?
- Are there psycho-oncology services you can refer your patients to? If not, what can you offer
them if they need help?
You can read the article here. Press the comment button at the end and share your views.
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Cancer World Newsletter - The biology of breast cancer in young women in unique - a debate |
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Are the breast cancers that strike younger women biologically different to those that appear at a
later age? This Focus article presents a debate between two experts which took place at ESO's
conference on Breast Cancer In Young Women, Dublin November 2012, to try to understand more
about why younger women with breast cancer tend to have a poorer prognosis than their older
counterparts.
What do you think?
- Is the poorer prognosis in younger women most likely to indicate a unique biology
- Or is just that the more aggressive phenotypes -- HER2-enriched, basal-like, triple-negative --
are more common among younger women with breast cancer?
You can read the article here. Press the comment button at the end and share your views.
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Cancer World Newsletter -e-Grandround, Personalised cancer care: where do we stand today? |
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The field of personalised cancer care has changed dramatically since the early days of Glivec
and Herceptin. We’re getting smarter at identifying mutations and quicker at developing therapies
that target them. Yet resistance, side-effects and the rarity of many mutations continue to pose
significant challenges. In this e-grandround, the co-director of MD Anderson’s Khalifa Institute for
Personalised Cancer Therapy presents the current state of knowledge and charts a way forward.
What do you think?
- Is the personalised treatment paradigm on track to deliver meaningful benefit to large
numbers of patients?
- What has to happen to overcome the obtacles?
You can read the article here. Press the comment button at the end and share your views
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Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI) Newsletter N. 1 – 2013 |
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Promising developments at OECI’s Oncology Days
Dear OECI Members,
This Newsletter reports on recent improvements of the OECI activities as discussed at the 2013 OECI Annual meeting and General Assembly held in Brussels. From May 13th to 16th various pursuits marked the start of new developments.
A major highlight was the handing over of the European Cancer Prize by Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium to Professor Ulrik Ringborg for his numerous activities and merits in the European cancer field. He has decided to devote the amount of € 20,000 to young researchers aiming to attend a training course in translational research. The OECI Board dedicated a special meeting to the developments in the Accreditation & Designation programme. > Read more...
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OECI Oncology Prize 2013
For the first time ever, the OECI Board handed out the OECI Cancer Prize. The Prize has been assigned to a person that contributed in a significant way to the development and improvement of the European Cancer field. > Read more...
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Launch of the BENCH-CAN project
BENCH-CAN was launched on May 14th 2013 with a kick-off meeting in Brussels as part of the Oncology Days Programme. > Read more...
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The EurocanPlatform Network of Excellence
On May 14th , as part of the OECI 2013 Oncology Days, the EurocanPlatform Symposium took place at the Institut Jules Bordet. > Read more...
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Cancer Education and Training in Central and Eastern EU Countries
The Symposiun has been organised by the Education & Training WG, in collaboration with the European School of Oncology. > Read more...
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Quality of CCCs and accreditation development
The Symposium has been organised by the Accreditation and Designation WG, in collaboration with the European School of Oncology. > Read more...
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National Programs for Translational Cancer Research and Translational Oncology
The Forum has been co-organised by the OECI, the Institut National du Cancer, the European Cancer Organisation and the Italian Cancer network, Alleanza Contro il Cancro as part of the OECI 2013 Oncology Days. > Read more...
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Personalised and sustainable oncology care: health economic perspectives
Scott Ramsey presented how CCCs in the US are organized and emphasized their important role in stimulating and facilitating health economic research of innovative cancer treatments. He thereafter posed the question “Are CCCs cost-effective?” and discussed ways of measuring costs and benefits of CCCs. > Read more...
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Molecular Pathology Day
On 16th May 2013, the OECI pathologists met in Brussels to resume an old OECI tradition. > Read more...
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Renewal of the OECI Board
At the 2013 General Assembly, upon proposal of the OECI President and of the Board, two new Members have been elected to the OECI Board. The OECI is honoured to welcome Professor Carlos Caldas and Professor Emmanuel Mitry, who will cover the positions of Elected Members for the period 2013-2016. > Read more...
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2014 OECI Oncology Days and General Assembly Cluj Napoca, Romania
The 2014 OECI Oncology Days and General Assembly will take place in Cluj Napoca, Romania, on June 11th – 14th, hosted by the Oncology Institute Ion Chiricuta. > Read more...
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Four OECI Comprehensive Cancer Centres received the accreditation certificate
During the OECI 2013 General Assembly, the OECI accreditation certificate has been assigned to four OECI Members. Actually, 15% of the OECI Members passed the accreditation procedure and 25% (15 Institutes) of the remaining Members entered already the process. > Read more...
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| The OECI welcomes six new members |
Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute Glasgow, UK
The mission of the CR-UK Beatson Institute (BI) is to deliver cancer discovery for patient benefit. It aims to carry out world-class research and translate this knowledge to new anti-cancer therapies. > Read more...
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Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust - London, UK
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust is one of the largest acute trusts in the UK and in partnership with Imperial College London was the UK’s first academic health science centres (AHSCs).
> Read more...
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Comprehensive Cancer Center - Graz, Austria
In May 2013, the Medical University of Graz, together with the University Hospital Graz, founded Austria’s second CCC, focusing on research, education and training as well as on patient care.
> Read more...
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Amethyst Radiotherapy Center - Bucharest, Romania
Opened since September 2012 in Bucharest, Amethyst Radiotherapy Center offers to Romanian oncological patients high tech radiation treatments. Professor I.C. Chiricuta, Amethyst Medical Director and his team, operate 100% of the cases with IMRT technology.
> Read more...
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Institute of Biostatistics and Analyses, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic (IBA MU)
IBA MU was established in 2002 and since 2006 it works as university research institute focused on computational biology and health care informatics.
> Read more...
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P.A. Hertzen Moscow Cancer Research Institute - Russia
The Moscow Hertzen Cancer Research Institute, one of the oldest oncologic scientific organisations in Europe, was founded in 1898.
> Read more... |
Please click to download the complete PDF version of the OECI Newsletter N.1/2013
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