24 November, 2020, 8.30 CET

As roughly 40% of all cancers are considered preventable, prevention is high on the political agenda. Vaccination programs, environmental policies and supporting healthy lifestyles feature prominently all over the world, including within Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. When prevention works, it is a cost-effective element of any long-term cancer control strategy. Little is known, however, about the actual effects and causal links between preventive policies on cancer incidence, and mortality. Evidence linking prevention to verified results is scarce, and often unclear regarding which policies and programs work, and to what degree. How strong is the case for cancer prevention? How should prevention be incorporated into national cancer plans? And ultimately, what is the role of prevention in evidenced-based health policy decision-making?

14 October, 2020, 8.30 CET

Centralizing cancer care has been a hot topic for quite some time. Many argue that hospitals are often too small and treat too few patients. Only by pooling resources and specialists in comprehensive cancer centers could high-quality care and equal access to innovative therapies be guaranteed. Yet, the Covid pandemic has shown that reducing the number of hospital beds may also be problematic for the quality of care. Broad availability of hospitals can help intercept epidemic outbreaks and maintain medical expertise – also in oncology. How should the future of inpatient cancer care look like in Europe? Is centralization still the way forward, or do we need to maintain broad operational readiness and expertise?.

Wednesday, 30 September, 20.00 – 21.00 CET (2.00 pm – 3.00 pm, US Eastern)

Given the huge societal and economic impacts of the coronavirus in Europe, everyone is hopeful that COVID-19 vaccines will soon be available – but what happens next? According to an Economist report from August 2018, in the past decade vaccination rates in some European countries have often fallen below those in parts of Africa. It claims that Italy, France and Serbia have lower child-vaccination rates than Burundi, Rwanda and Senegal. After billions of Euros have been invested by governments, what will happen if many EU citizens are unwilling to take the vaccine? What can be done now to ensure that those who need the COVID-19 vaccine most are treated first when the vaccines are available? Furthermore, how do EU member states plan on measuring and monitoring the safety of vaccines that have been rapidly put onto the market ̶ and who will ultimately be accountable? And from the patient’s perspective, how can we build trust around the EU’s management of COVID-19, which has become increasingly politicised?

A series of 3 webinars focussed on ‘The Role of Health Data in the Post Covid-19 Era’

Goal of the webinar series:
The webinars will present an opportunity to explore utilisation of Real World Data/Real World Evidence in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries, as well as to compare and analyse wider European and Spanish RWD/RWE initiatives in the spirit of creating collaborations and strengthening relationships.

9 September, 2020, 8.30 CET

Cancer is still often considered a death sentence. It is the second leading cause of death globally and will soon overtake cardiovascular disease as the number one killer. As a result, the main effect that people expect treatments to have is to prolong overall survival either through curing the disease or by slowing its progression and reducing cancer-related symptoms. Indeed, great progress has been made in recent years and cancer mortality grows at a much slower pace than cancer incidence.

This webinar intends to discuss different perspectives on how funding decisions should be approached depending on the setting of the disease.

15 July, 15.00-16.00 CET

This year more than half a million Europeans will be diagnosed with lung cancer. While many countries have improved the management of lung cancer through better prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment, the disease continues to claim 1 in 5 cancer deaths across Europe, posing significant challenges to patients and healthcare systems. To identify further opportunities for improvement, The Economist Intelligence Unit made a comparative analysis of lung cancer policies across 27 countries. Over the course of 18 months almost 200 experts provided their insights and advice. During this webinar we will discuss the main findings of this new, landmark study, and discuss in particular the role that governments and policy makers can play in addressing the high burden that lung cancer presents.

8th July, 2020, 08:30 – 09:00 CET

H&N patients haven´t seen innovation in the disease area for the past 10 years. Those patients face stigma and lack of clear pathways to get early treatment. Are we all doing enough to accelerate the process? How do we make others SEE them?

17th June 2020, 11.00-12.00 CET

While Europe is working on creating a Cancer Plan, many Member States have national cancer plans and other ambitious initiatives. For example, Germany that is one year into its Decade Against Cancer. German institutions for research and healthcare, the private sector, political institutions and civil society are joining forces for cancer research, cancer prevention and improved therapy of cancer patients. Germany aims to cure or control cancer long-term in 75% of patients by 2030.
What can Europe learn from Germany, and what are the key success factors for a government driven multi-stakeholder action to improve cancer care?