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ED E-NEWS NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2023
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📆 8 Nov ➡️ SPCC Quality of Care Improvement in MBC Patients Investigators Meeting📍Lisbon, Portugal
Europa Donna Executive Director Marzia Zambon was happy to present ED’s project at the Quality of Care Improvement in MBC Patients Investigators Meeting, which was hosted by Sharing Progress in Cancer Care (SPCC) on 8 November 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal. This meeting represented the culmination of a two-year grant awarded by SPCC and Pfizer Global Medical Grants on the “Improving Care of Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) Patients in Europe – 2020/2021 RFP” Project. Seven winning projects, including one submitted by Europa Donna, were selected and awarded a grant. The 8 November meeting was organised to present an overview of grant recipients’ project outcomes and share best practice.
In Europa Donna’s presentation, Marzia described the Europa Donna Advocacy for Quality of Care Improvement in Patients with MBC Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) project, in which our goal was to drive positive change through the creation of a European-wide campaign to raise awareness of MBC and to promote optimal follow-up, rehabilitation, aftercare, survivorship and quality of life issues for and with women who have this disease. ED launched a ground-breaking social media campaign called the Cancer Currency campaign aimed at the European public, and we provided our 47 national groups with accurate up-to-date information on MBC through conferences and roundtable discussions that they spread to further diffuse general MBC awareness-raising messages as well as information on best practice guideline-based healthcare services and quality of life issues that advocates can demand and stakeholders in the breast cancer community can use to build MBC advocacy and awareness programmes in their countries.
We gratefully acknowledge Pfizer-SPCC’s multi-year grant in support of this project, which concluded in June! We are continuing with our Cancer Currency Campaign and plan to take it to another level in 2024 by calling on legislators and policymakers across Europe to address MBC as a health policy priority.
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📆 9-11 Nov ➡️ ABC7 Conference📍Lisbon, Portugal
Marzia Zambon and Policy & Research Officer Martina Fontana from the Europa Donna Head Office attended the Advanced Breast Cancer-7 (ABC7) International Consensus Conference from 9 to 11 November. At this conference, organized by the ABC Global Alliance, Marzia and Martina exchanged ideas and connected with people, organisations and experts from all over the world. What made the event extra special was that it was hosted by Fatima Cardoso, who has been a key partner for ED and a beloved long-time lecturer at our events. We are delighted to continue our ongoing partnership with the ABC Global Alliance and the advanced breast cancer community as advocates with a common goal!
At the ABC7 Posters Session, Marzia presented our the Cancer Currency campaign, which was awarded the title of Best Poster by a Patient Organisation. At the ED booth, we also handed out the most precious banknotes in the world, featuring the stories of the five advocates with MBC who were featured in our campaign and their priceless value. The Cancer Currency Campaign has recently achieved a stunning policy success by driving the inclusion of specific funding for metastatic cancer in the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan!
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📆 17-19 Nov ➡️ Europa Donna Advocacy Training Course📍Milan, Italy
Over the weekend of 17 - 19 November we proudly hosted more than 60 advocates and experts from over 30 countries for a super energetic and engaging 2023 Advocacy Training Course in Milan! For the first time, as a result of a joint project with ABC Global Alliance, our Advocacy Training Course opened to a selection of advocates from outside of our European Coalition member countries (this year from Kuwait and Nigeria). Among the excellent lecturers were Bettina Borisch, Elena Venturini, Maria Joao Cardoso, Eva Negri, Ines Maria Vaz Duarte Luis, and Gian Paolo Morgano, who covered topics ranging from epidemiology to biology to pathology, screening, surgery and treatment options, the importance of being involved in research and clinical trials, and how to use ECIBC guidelines to advocate for positive change in your country. We are grateful for the time they dedicated to our new advocates and for their unwavering support of ED. During the weekend, both scientists and patient representatives repeatedly emphasized the importance of all stakeholders working together to achieve effective advocacy and improved services for people with breast cancer. And we were very pleased to welcome almost 50 new breast cancer advocates into the Europa Donna family!
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📆 28 Nov ➡️ Voices for Change event at the European Parliament 📍Brussels, Belgium
On 28 November, Europa Donna supported the Manifesto on Triple-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer (mTNBC) brought to the European Parliament by the very driven Spanish Women’s Coalition for TNBC. The Manifesto, signed by 25 Spanish women representing policymakers, oncologists, pharmacists, patients and journalists, outlines a set of 10 Recommendations to the Spanish Parliament in an effort to spotlight the unique needs of patients with mTNBC in Spain. The objective of the event at the EU Parliament was to bring this national practice to EU level.
Asked to provide the European viewpoint at this event entitled “Voices for Change”, Europa Donna was superbly represented by our Executive Board member and 2024 President Elect, Stella Mastora. She underlined the massive data gaps, treatment options and services in this type and phase of breast cancer and the discrimination in treatment care and basic social and civil services that people diagnosed with MBC in Europe face on a daily basis. Stella also pointed out the lack of public awareness of the huge difference in perspective, needs and values between the early and metastatic breast cancer and presented our #TheCancerCurrency Campaign to the MEPs and everyone attending the event.
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📆 4-5 Dec ➡️ Cancer Summit on the Importance of Health Literacy 📍Brussels, Belgium
Ahead of the 2023 European Cancer Forum, Marzia Zambon participated in a media roundtable at the Solvay Library in Brussels on 5 December in which journalists from all over Europe spoke with MEP Christian Busoi, Thomas Hofmarcher and Kristine Sørensen about the next steps, planned and needed, to push forward the implementation of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. Marzia spoke about the importance of enhancing health literacy in the view of true and impactful patient engagement and representation in developing national public health policies.
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📆 11 Dec ➡️ Roundtable on Lymphoedema, Part 2 📍Virtual
More than 30 dedicated advocates convened on 11 December for the second virtual session of the Breast Cancer and Lymphoedema Roundtable. Leading the session were two outstanding experts: Gemma Pons and Giuseppe Catanuto. Crucial topics such as the management of lymphoedema, axillary surgery, best practices, surgeon training, surgical skills, and early detection were covered during the lively discussions. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Gemma Pons and Giuseppe Catanuto for their continuous support to Europa Donna's advocates and for the insightful interventions, and special thanks to all participants for their active engagement. Their contributions make a meaningful impact on advancing our understanding and approach to breast cancer and lymphoedema!
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➡️ SURVEY ⬅️
As a cancer survivor, your experience can help others!
The smartCARE project -a Europa Commission-funded activity in which Europa Donna is a partner- is designing a mobile application to improve the health and wellbeing of cancer survivors and caregivers.
⚠️ Please take a few minutes to fill out our survey, which will advise developers to build the best application possible ➡️ https://bit.ly/3t1hIdU
All respondents will be eligible for free virtual registration to the 2024 European Cancer Summit.
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➡️ PUBLICATIONS ⬅️
✴️ Read this article co-authored by Marzia Zambon on European Guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of breast lesions with uncertain malignant potential (B3 lesions) developed jointly by EUSOMA, EUSOBI, ESP (BWG) and ESSO! ➡️ Click here
✴️ Exciting first results are in for the PREFERABLE-EFFECT study, in which Europa Donna is a partner! This study investigated whether an exercise program, supervised by an exercise trainer, has a positive effect on fatigue and quality of life in people diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 825677.
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➡️ VIDEOS ⬅️
✴️ Results achieved!
Commissioner Stella Kyriakides announces that, for the first time, metastatic disease was included in Europe's Beating Cancer Plan and that there's specific funding for it. This marks a success for our MBC campaign and a major step that we hope is only one of many. Please continue to share this value-filled campaign ➡️ Click here to see the video
✴️ Pan European Conference Video
Throwback to some unforgettable moments at our 16th Pan-European Conference in Zagreb! Huge thanks to our incredible speakers and participants who made it a truly special event.
Breaking barriers starts with us! ➡️ Click here to see the video
✴️ Martina Fontana, Europa Donna’s Policy & Research Officer and TBCT member, calls for a clear commitment by EU member states to implement national legislation promoting and protecting the right to reproduce and plan a family for all cancer patients ➡️ Click here to see the video
For more information, please read the White Paper, 'Cancer and Family Planning'
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