Identifying critical steps towards improved access to innovation in cancer care: a European CanCer Organisation position paper

Publication date: September 2017
Source:European Journal of Cancer, Volume 82
Author(s): Matti Aapro, Alain Astier, Riccardo Audisio, Ian Banks, Pierre Bedossa, Etienne Brain, David Cameron, Paolo Casali, Arturo Chiti, Leticia De Mattos-Arruda, Daniel Kelly, Denis Lacombe, Per J. Nilsson, Martine Piccart, Philip Poortmans, Katrine Riklund, Gunnar Saeter, Martin Schrappe, Riccardo Soffietti, Luzia Travado, Hein van Poppel, Suzanne Wait, Peter Naredi
In recent decades cancer care has seen improvements in the speed and accuracy of diagnostic procedures; the effectiveness of surgery, radiation therapy and medical treatments; the power of information technology; and the development of multidisciplinary, specialist-led approaches to care. Such innovations are essential if we are to continue improving the lives of cancer patients across Europe despite financial pressures on our healthcare systems. Investment in innovation must be balanced with the need to ensure the sustainability of healthcare budgets, and all health professionals have a responsibility to help achieve this balance. It requires scrutiny of the way care is delivered; we must be ready to discontinue practices or interventions that are inefficient, and prioritise innovations that may deliver the best outcomes possible for patients within the limits of available resources. Decisions on innovations should take into account their long-term impact on patient outcomes and costs, not just their immediate costs. Adopting a culture of innovation requires a multidisciplinary team approach, with the patient at the centre and an integral part of the team. It must take a whole-system and whole-patient perspective on cancer care and be guided by high-quality real-world data, including outcomes relevant to the patient and actual costs of care; this accurately reflects the impact of any innovation in clinical practice. The European CanCer Organisation is committed to working with its member societies, patient organisations and the cancer community at large to find sustainable ways to identify and integrate the most meaningful innovations into all aspects of cancer care.



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