Limitations of cancer care in Central and South-Eastern Europe: results of the international conference organized by the Central European Cooperative Oncology Group (CECOG)

Christiane Thallinger; Ivica Belina; Alina Comanescu; Tanja Cufer; Jacek Jassem; Barbara Kiesewetter; Lydia Markaroff; Rene Ott; Bartosz Polinski; Radu Rasinar; Alexander Rödiger; Rafał Świerzewski; Nils Wilking; Christoph Zielinski

doi:10.5114/jhi.2020.103221

eISSN: 2450-5722
ISSN: 2450-5927

Journal of Health Inequalities

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2/2020
vol. 6

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abstract:

Special paper

Limitations of cancer care in Central and South-Eastern Europe: results of the international conference organized by the Central European Cooperative Oncology Group (CECOG)

Christiane Thallinger

^{1, 2}

,

Ivica Belina

³

,

Alina Comanescu

⁴

,

Tanja Cufer

⁵

,

Jacek Jassem

⁶

,

Barbara Kiesewetter

⁷

,

Lydia E. Markaroff

⁸

,

Rene G. Ott

⁹

,

Bartosz Polinski

¹⁰

,

Radu Rasinar

¹¹

,

Alexander Rödiger

¹²

,

Rafał Świerzewski

¹³

,

Nils Wilking

¹⁴

,

Christoph Zielinski

^{2, 15}

Department of Medicine I, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Central European Cooperative Oncology Group (CECOG)
Coalition of Associations in Healthcare (Koalicija udruga u zdravstvu), Croatia
Community Health Association Romania
University Clinic Golnik, Medical Faculty Ljubljana, Slovenia
Medical University of Gdansk, Poland
Clinical Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine I, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Fight Bladder Cancer, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
AstraZeneca, Baar, Switzerland
Alivia Cancer Foundation, Poland
AstraZeneca, Bucharest, Romania
Merck GmbH, Switzerland
Foundation for Patients with Rare Diseases “COCARDA”, Poland, and European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC)
Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
Vienna Cancer Center, Vienna Hospital Association and Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria

J Health Inequal 2020; 6 (2): 139-152

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/jhi.2020.103221

Online publish date: 2020/12/30

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AMA

Thallinger C, Belina I, Comanescu A, et al. Limitations of cancer care in Central and South-Eastern Europe: results of the international conference organized by the Central European Cooperative Oncology Group (CECOG). Journal of Health Inequalities. 2020;6(2):139-152. doi:10.5114/jhi.2020.103221.

APA

Thallinger, C., Belina, I., Comanescu, A., Cufer, T., Jassem, J.,  & Kiesewetter, B. et al. (2020). Limitations of cancer care in Central and South-Eastern Europe: results of the international conference organized by the Central European Cooperative Oncology Group (CECOG). Journal of Health Inequalities, 6(2), 139-152. https://doi.org/10.5114/jhi.2020.103221

Chicago

Thallinger, Christiane, Ivica Belina, Alina Comanescu, Tanja Cufer, Jacek Jassem, Barbara Kiesewetter,  and Lydia E Markaroff et al. 2020. "Limitations of cancer care in Central and South-Eastern Europe: results of the international conference organized by the Central European Cooperative Oncology Group (CECOG)". Journal of Health Inequalities 6 (2): 139-152. doi:10.5114/jhi.2020.103221.

Harvard

Thallinger, C., Belina, I., Comanescu, A., Cufer, T., Jassem, J., Kiesewetter, B., Markaroff, L., Ott, R., Polinski, B., Rasinar, R., Rödiger, A., Świerzewski, R., Wilking, N.,  and Zielinski, C. (2020). Limitations of cancer care in Central and South-Eastern Europe: results of the international conference organized by the Central European Cooperative Oncology Group (CECOG). Journal of Health Inequalities, 6(2), pp.139-152. https://doi.org/10.5114/jhi.2020.103221

MLA

Thallinger, Christiane et al. "Limitations of cancer care in Central and South-Eastern Europe: results of the international conference organized by the Central European Cooperative Oncology Group (CECOG)." Journal of Health Inequalities, vol. 6, no. 2, 2020, pp. 139-152. doi:10.5114/jhi.2020.103221.

Vancouver

Thallinger C, Belina I, Comanescu A, Cufer T, Jassem J, Kiesewetter B et al. Limitations of cancer care in Central and South-Eastern Europe: results of the international conference organized by the Central European Cooperative Oncology Group (CECOG). Journal of Health Inequalities. 2020;6(2):139-152. doi:10.5114/jhi.2020.103221.

PlumX metrics:

Profound disparities in cancer incidence and treatment outcomes, as well as accessibility of innovative EMA approved medications and technologies exist between Central, Eastern and South-Eastern (CEE)

European countries and neighbouring Western European (WE) countries.

An international expert conference was held to discuss the current situation regarding the availability and affordability of innovative anti-cancer drugs in CEE, to define shortcomings in cancer care and to specify possible solutions to overcome the lack of access to anti-cancer medications in the region.

Consequently, all experts agreed that national prevention programs targeting smoking, obesity and alcohol consumption, and cancer screening programmes should be widely implemented in CEE countries.

Considering limited healthcare resources in most CEE countries, an efficient allocation in a more structured way with clear cancer patient pathways to contain costs is needed. Also, more rapid reimbursement decisions and introduction of novel drugs in routine clinical practice, along with better access to clinical trials, are needed. There was consensus that higher investments into cancer care and more organized, value-oriented application of novel diagnostic and treatment approaches are necessary.

Furthermore, it was suggested that patient organisations should be more involved in cancer research, clinical research and reimbursement processes. Postulated were also higher investments into cancer care and more organized, value-oriented application of novel diagnostic and treatment approaches.

keywords:

cancer care, inequality, access, cancer control plans

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Limitations of cancer care in Central and South-Eastern Europe: results of the international conference organized by the Central European Cooperative Oncology Group (CECOG)

Christiane Thallinger 1, 2 , Ivica Belina 3 , Alina Comanescu 4 , Tanja Cufer 5 , Jacek Jassem 6 , Barbara Kiesewetter 7 , Lydia E. Markaroff 8 , Rene G. Ott 9 , Bartosz Polinski 10 , Radu Rasinar 11 , Alexander Rödiger 12 , Rafał Świerzewski 13 , Nils Wilking 14 , Christoph Zielinski 2, 15

cancer care, inequality, access, cancer control plans