European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology
ESTRO
ESTRO, the European SocieTy for Radiotherapy & Oncology, is a scientific non-profit organisation whose mission is to further reinforce radiation oncology as a core partner in multidisciplinary cancer care and to guarantee accessible and high-value radiation therapy for all cancer patients who need it.
ID: 114144232470-50
Lobbying Activity
Response to Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan
3 Mar 2020
ESTRO (European SocieTy for Radiotherapy and Oncology) would like to thank the European Commission for the ambitious plan, providing to the oncology community shared priorities.
ESTRO reiterates the importance of multidisciplinary cancer care, for a care pathway that is targeted to the patient. To this end, ensuring that not only medicines are mentioned in the Plan, but also the other cancer treatments – radiotherapy and surgery– is crucial.
Part A – problem definition:
Addressing the range of issues impacting on cancer and cancer inequalities described in the document:
- The wording “Health policy’s emphasis on treatment” seems misleading. We would suggest to rather mention the inadequate attention to prevention, rather than implying that the attention to cure is an issue.
- We fully support the need to close the knowledge gaps. We suggest adding not only sharing of data, but also as a first step enhancing and supporting data collection, often lacking. We support the remark that the application of new techniques in clinical settings needs to be facilitated. Funding for pre-clinical research is crucial to advance, along with the need for more emphasis on clinical trials, health services research and research focusing on quality of life. As trial data may take a long time to mature, real-world data are needed to evaluate the use of promising innovations in practice. Regarding the use of data, discussing new frameworks for timely health technology assessment for innovative technologies is also important.
- The uneven access to care is crucial. Most importantly, we urge you not to focus only access to drugs but include other cancer treatments too, such as radiotherapy. Radiotherapy is a core component of high quality cancer care, prescribed according to guidelines to more than half of all cancer patients and responsible for a significant part of the cancer cures. However, in Europe, at least one in four people needing radiotherapy does not receive it. Inequalities across Europe persist: the numbers of radiotherapy facilities and equipment are often inadequate, and the availability of necessary health professionals varies greatly between countries. Uneven access is broader than just access to cancer services, but encompasses also shortages of trained professionals, sub-optimal decision-making processes in referral of the patients, empowerment of the civil society. Additionally, regarding the cost of treatment, health services research is necessary and should be supported, especially on the cost effectiveness of health care system and specific treatments and in future capacity planning.
- In line with the need for properly trained professionals, we would like to add the need for the EU recognition of professions working in the oncology team, to ensure mobility, and agreement on EU curricula: some qualifications cannot easily be transferred from one country to another as they are not recognised in all countries.
Part B – what the initiative aims to achieve and how.
Looking at the various domains of actions:
- Regarding prevention, we would like to point out that the wording linked to the optimization of the use of radio-nuclear medical applications seems misleading, presenting them as causes of cancer rather than treatment, while radiotherapy cures cancer. Evidence shows that 40% of all cancers cured are eliminated by radiotherapy, either alone or acting in combination with other types of treatment We would like to ask you to reconsider such specific inclusion.
- In the treatment and care section, we urge you to be comprehensive, adding to pharmaceuticals also radiotherapy and surgery, as well as ensuring availability and affordability of medical devices and RT equipment.
- Similarly, when addressing the knowledge, data and scientific evidence, the creation of the EU Cancer Knowledge Centre is of value, provided that its expertise will cover a multidisciplinary care spectrum
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