ECPC Press Release - 25 August 2005

Brussels, 25.08.2005

The European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC) is pleased to announce that as of 15 August 2005, we have a new Board of Directors. Established in autumn 2003 and until now governed by a Steering Committee, ECPC is ready to move into the next exciting phase of work: making the voice of all cancer patient groups heard across Europe and uniquely representing their interests in the corridors of Brussels and national capitals.

With a growing membership, who have placed their trust in us, our Constitution and a new Board in place, ECPC’s ambitious path to improve cancer prevention, screening, early diagnosis and best outcome, and reduce disparity and inequity across the EU will be unstoppable. The new Board will be invaluable in guiding ECPC’s strategy and future direction as we seek to ensure that policy makers, politicians, health professionals, the media, and the general public recognize the serious nature of cancer and the need for concerted action to reduce unnecessary death and suffering.

For the next 5 years ECPC has set itself the following strategic goals:

• Making cancer a priority for action on the European health policy agenda
• Effecting change in legislative or regulatory policies to help optimise cancer prevention, detection, treatment and care throughout Europe.
• Ensuring that all cancer patients in the EU have access to timely and appropriate information about prevention, screening, early intervention, on-going clinical trials and best quality treatment and care.
• Empowering cancer patients to take an active role in shaping European and national policy that impacts on cancer prevention, treatment and care.
• Ensuring that best cancer practice is shared across the EU and gaps within and between Member States are eradicated.

ECPC’s Chair of the Board, Lynn Faulds Wood of Lynn’s Bowel Cancer Campaign, stated: "ECPC has grown quickly in its first two years - with our new Board we look forward to moving even faster towards fulfilling our ambition and leitmotif: Nothing About Us, Without Us!"


The new ECPC Board members are:

• Jesme Baird
  Member organisation: The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, UK

• Lynn Faulds Wood
  Member organisation: Lynn’s Bowel Cancer Campaign, UK

• Jan Geißler
  Member organisation: Leukaemie-Online.de, Germany

• Tom Hudson
  Member organisation: Europa Uomo, Men Against Cancer (MAC), Ireland

• Elisabetta Iannelli
  Member organisation: Italian Association for Cancer Patients, relatives and friends (AIMaC), Italy

• Panayiotis E Mallis
  Member organisation: The Cyprus Association of Cancer Patients and Friends,Cyprus

• Heide Preuß
  Member organisation: Mamazone women and genomics against breast cancer, Germany

• Harm Jan Roelants
  Member organisation: Dutch Federation of Cancer Patients’ Organizations (NFK), the Netherlands

• Kees van Bezooijen
  Member organisation: Contact group Leukaemia, the Netherlands

For further information please contact:

Notes to the Editor

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 million new cases and more than 1.1 million cancer deaths in Europe each year
• Every day 5214 Europeans are diagnosed with cancer and 3185 die from their disease
• Lung cancer is the commonest form of cancer, followed closely by colorectal cancer
• Lung, colorectal and breast cancer account for two-fifths of the entire European cancer population
• Most of the other cancer are considered rare diseases according to the EU criteria affecting not more than 5/10,000 people in the EU
• The number of Europeans with cancer will increase dramatically over the next 20 years mainly due to the ageing population