Recent publications including a new position paper on access to innovation.
ECCO Publications 2017
- Identifying Critical Steps Towards Improved Access to Innovation in Cancer Care (Aug 2017)
- Integrated Cancer Care: Bringing Primary Care and Secondary Care Together (May 2017)
- Value of Specialised Cancer Nursing (May 2017)
- Essential Requirements for Quality Cancer Care: Colorectal Cancer (Feb 2017)
- Essential Requirements for Quality Cancer Care: Soft Tissue Sarcoma in Adults and Bone Sarcoma (Feb 2017)
ECCO speaks out on access to innovation
Addressing one of the most pressing issues in healthcare of the present time, ECCO - the European CanCer Organisation, has published a new position paper on access to innovation. Representing the views of its 25 member organisations, and with strong input from its Patient Advisory Committee, ECCO’s latest policy paper sets out a clear manifesto for achieving improvement on access to innovation. Recommendations within the paper include calling for:
- Structured pathways to regularise and systemise the introduction of innovation within health systems;
- Placing patient benefit at the heart of any valuation of an innovation, giving adequate weight to quality of life and progression-free survival;
- Application of real world data use for assessing benefit of innovations beyond the pharmaceutical domain, for example in proposed improvements to surgical techniques and medical devices;
- Efforts towards improving the sharing of registry data across countries via common protocols, structures and transparency;
- Readiness to remove or discontinue practices or interventions that are inefficient.
Commenting on the publication of the statement, ECCO President Peter Naredi said:
“The good news is science, collaboration and determination are continually and increasingly providing evidence of how to improve diagnosis, treatment and care for cancer patients. The less good news is our health systems are not always readily adapting to these innovations. That is why the 25 member organisations of ECCO have come together to issue a public call for health systems to improve the way they provide patients with access to innovation.
With so many international political initiatives taking place on the topic of access, ECCO will seek to ensure debates on access take a macro view on whole system needs. Whether at the most local level, or at the global level, it’s the expert views of the healthcare professionals in practice that can elucidate answers to questions about what stops us from doing better on access to innovation.”
ECCO is committed to working with its member societies, patient organisations and the cancer community at large, to identify sustainable ways to distinguish and integrate the most meaningful innovations into all aspects of cancer care. It is also committed to working with, and building on, professional educational efforts of its members to build multidisciplinary excellence in cancer care.
