ECPC Press Release - 11 April 2008

Brussels, 11 April 2008

MEPs adopted on Thursday 10th April 2008 a “Resolution on combating cancer in the enlarged European Union”. This is the third resolution on major diseases, following on from the Cardiovascular and HIV/AIDS resolutions. Credit must go to all members of MEPs Against Cancer (MAC), to whom cancer patients are indebted for their efforts in bringing the Resolution about. The MAC Statement, adopted by this parliamentary group of 67 MEPs led by Alojz Peterle, Liz Lynne and Adamos Adamou, and the “Written Declaration on the need for a comprehensive cancer control strategy”, formed an excellent foundation and helped propel political momentum forward.

One key demand made is for the Commission to set up an EU Cancer Task Force, composed of Members from the Commission, the Council and the European Parliament. This body would provide a framework for tackling inequalities in cancer control, collect and exchange best practice for prevention, screening and treatment and to provide leadership for improved cancer control in Europe. Member States are called upon to implement statutory cancer registration with European standardised terminology. This would generate comparable data and would provide the means for a population-based evaluation of prevention, screening, treatment and survival rates in different Member States. Prevention is another focus. The Commission and the Member States are asked to support and implement comprehensive tobacco control policies and to implement the Council recommendation on cancer screening.

Further demands include the promotion of information and prevention campaigns targeted at specific population groups, optimal treatment of patients by multidisciplinary oncology teams, psycho-social care, and palliative care guidelines, European guidelines for patients’ rights charters and the recognition of the

speciality of medical oncology. The Commission is asked to allocate funds within the Seventh Framework Programme in order to encourage research, with a particular emphasis on stimulating research on paediatric cancers and fund reference networks for rare and difficult-to-treat cancers. The current Slovenian Presidency has elected to make cancer its health priority. ECPC is certain that the Resolution will make a crucial contribution to their work. It provides strategic direction for the French and later Presidencies to work towards. The text will now be forwarded to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of Member States. ECPC hopes that this will provide a vital opportunity for national organisations to make the case for improved cancer control in their country.

Newly appointed Health Commissioner Androula Vassiliou gave her full support to cancer control in her speech to MEPs during plenary. The cancer burden, she said, had enormous health, social and economic costs and was a particular concern for herself. It was “something which is so serious for the whole of the European Union… that we cannot be complacent and it will always be among our priorities.” She officially announced that the Commission would next year “present a Communication on a cancer action plan for the European Community which will focus on a number of important aspects of cancer control, such as prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care.”

Lynn Faulds Wood, President of the ECPC was overjoyed: “Cancer patients strongly welcome this strategic approach. Only two days earlier at our ECPC Cancer Patient Summit, the Commissioner’s promise of a new Action Plan on Cancer drew strong applause from the over 150 delegates, many of them cancer patients or survivors.” Also encouraging was the announcement that the forthcoming Communication on Rare Diseases would include rare cancers.

Georgs Andrejevs MEP, one of the principle authors of the resolution, examined the outlook for future European action in the cancer field. “We have much to celebrate but the momentum must not stop here. Future Presidencies have a responsibility to use the Slovenian Presidency conclusions to continue the excellent work that the Slovenians have begun. The coming six months offer France an opportunity to adopt a leadership role in cancer control in Europe. France already has a comprehensive strategic Cancer Plan in place which could serve as an excellent example of best practice for the EU of what a truly patient-centred plan should cover. Moreover, the French cancer plan recognises that there is a European dimension to fighting cancer. Therefore, I would like to strongly encourage the upcoming French Presidency to follow up on established initiatives and to keep cancer high on its agenda. An overall cancer strategy, be it European or national, would help conquer the fragmentation and inequalities that haunt the cancer field.”

One of the central components of a cancer strategy is the proposed EU Cancer Task Force, a body for which Alojz Peterle MEP regularly acts as champion and spokesperson. “The cancer task force is a central pillar of the EU strategy to combat cancer across the Union. Many MEPs have been repeating the call for years, we are delighted that the new Health Commissioner Mrs Vassiliou has agree to examine it at the next Health Council. National cancer plans such as the French, draw their strength from an inter-ministerial cancer force, we need the equivalent at European level if we are going to co-ordinate best-practice and exchange proposals. Let us come together and finally put this plan into action.” His call was supported by several other MEPs from different political groups.

Liz Lynne MEP, a member of the Parliament’s Employment Committee, drew upon her expertise in disability rights in considering discrimination against cancer patients. “We need to make sure that those diagnosed with cancer are not discriminated against in the workplace. That should be covered by the Employment Directive 2000 on combating discrimination in the workplace, but many Member States do not class chronic illness and cancer as a disability. That is why we need a definition of disability at EU level that could include people with cancer.” “We thank the European Parliament, the Commission and the Slovenian EU Presidency for their support. With the three institutions working in synergy and putting citizens and patients at the centre of their concerns, we cancer patients can take heart”, commented Hildrun Sundseth, Head of EU Policy at ECPC.

For further information please contact

Lynn Faulds Wood (ECPC President)
Tel.: + 44 (0)208 8915937
Mobile: + 44 (0)783 1310000
EMail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Hildrun Sundseth (ECPC Head of EU Policy)
Tel.: +32 2 772 6165
Mobile: +32 473 983164
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Notes to the Editor

EP Cancer Resolution in all EU languages EP website
Slovenian Presidency website
http://www.eu2008.si/en/Meetings_Calendar/Dates/April/0417_EPSCO.html
http://www.eu2008.si/en/Media_Service/Video_Archive/April/0417EPSCO.html

MEP Press Releases

http://www.epped.eu/press/showPR.asp?PRControlDocTypeID=1&PRControlID=6971&PRContentID=12211&PRContentLg=en
http://www.epped.eu/press/showPR.asp?PRControlDocTypeID=1&PRControlID=6969&PRContentID=12209&PRContentLg=en
http://www.socialistgroup.eu/gpes/newsdetail.do?id=79186&lg=en
http://www.lizlynne.org.uk/news/000988/join_forces_to_fight_cancer_meps_urge.html
http://www.peterle.eu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=820&Itemid=1
http://www.andrejevs.eu/?t=a&id=49
http://www.friedabrepoels.be/
http://www.euractiv.com/en/health/commission-asked-draft-cancer-action-plan/article-171759

About ECPC

The European Cancer Patient Coalition was founded in 2003 under the slogan “Nothing about Us, Without Us. It is committed to improving cancer prevention, screening, early diagnosis and best treatment, reducing disparity and inequality across the EU. ECPC seeks to ensure that policy makers, politicians, health professionals, the media and the general public recognise the serious nature of cancer and the need for concerted action to reduce unnecessary death and suffering. Further information can be found at www.ecpc-online.org

Cancer in Europe: Key facts and figures

• There are more than 2,2 million new cases and more than 1,1 cancer deaths in the EU 25 each year
• Every day, over 6000 Europeans are diagnosed with cancer and more than 3000 die from their disease
• In women breast cancer is the most common form of cancer, amounting to nearly 31% of all incidence cases
• In men prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer, amounting to 24% of all incidence cases
• Colon or colorectal cancer is the second cancer in women and third in men, • Breast, prostate, colon and lung cancers count for more than half of the entire cancer population of the European Union in both sexes
• Most of the other cancers are fortunately seen in smaller numbers and affecting not more than 5/10,000 people in the EU
• The number of Europeans with cancer will increase dramatically by 2015 due to the ageing population

Figures based on estimates of the cancer incidence and mortality in Europe in 2006 published in the Annals of Oncology by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
http://www.iarc.fr/