Despite advances in cancer diagnoses and effective therapies which have helped to increase survival rates, cancer survivors continue to experience significant challenges.

According to Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, cancer should be tackled across the entire disease pathway, from prevention to improving the quality of life of cancer patients and survivors. In fact, ensuring that survivors “live long, fulfilling lives, free from discrimination and unfair obstacles” is of utmost importance. Life after cancer is multifaceted yet the focus of this online debate is on the implementation of policies addressing the specific challenge of returning to work for cancer survivors.

An EU Cancer Survivorship Day becoming a reality
 

Last year, ECPC’s event on life after cancer and putting an end to discrimination helped to raise awareness of cancer survivorship issues in the EU and called for the formalisation of a European Cancer Survivors Day.
 

This year, our webinar seeks to provide an impetus for the formal establishment of an annual EU Cancer Survivorship Day, following the example of several national cancer survivorship days which bring together communities worldwide to recognise survivors and the challenges they face and celebrate life after cancer. The Challenge Cancer Intergroup is committed to making the creation of an EU cancer survivors day become a reality.

PROGRAMME

10:30 - 10:35 | Introduction and opening remarks

• Prof. Dr. Mark Lawler, Professor of Digital Health, Faculty of Medicine, Queen’s University Belfast and ECPC Scientific Committee Member

10:35 - 10:45 | Understanding and prioritising the needs of cancer survivors

• MEP Cristian Silviu Bușoi (EPP, Romania), Chair of Challenge Cancer Parliamentary Intergroup
• Dr. Roberta De Angelis, Senior Research Director for Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Istituto Superiore di Sanità

10:45 - 11:00 | Implementing return to work policies for cancer survivors
Discussion panel

• Magali Mertens de Wilmars, Founder of Work&Cancer
• Barbara Wilson, Founder and Director of Working with Cancer
• Stephen Bevan, Head, HR Research Development, Institute for Employment Studies

11:00 - 11:10 | Q&A

11:10 - 11:25 | Towards a European cancer survivors day: next steps

• Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety
• MEP Véronique Trillet-Lenoir (Renew Europe, France), Member of the Parliament’s Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA) (tbc)
• MEP Romana Jerković (S&D, Croatia), Member of the Challenge Cancer Intergroup

11:25 - 11:30 | Concluding remarks

• Ken Mastris, ECPC President

Moderated by Prof. Dr. Mark Lawler