European Cancer Organisation
The European Cancer Organisation is a not-for-profit federation of Member Societies working in cancer at a European level. The Organisation is dedicated to convening oncology professionals and patients to agree policy, advocate for positive change and speak up for the European cancer community.[1] The European Cancer Organisation is the organiser of the annual European Cancer Summit.[2]
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| Formation | 2007 (1980s as FECS) |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Brussels, Belgium |
| Website | europeancancer |
Mission statement
The Mission of the European Cancer Organisation is to reduce the burden of cancer, improve outcomes and the quality of care for cancer patients, through multidisciplinarity and multiprofessionalism.
As the not-for-profit federation of member organisations working in cancer at a European level, the European Cancer Organisation convenes oncology professionals and patients to agree policy, advocate for positive change and be the united voice of the European cancer community.[3]
Background
In the early 1980s, a few European visionaries working in oncology laid the grounds of multidisciplinarity in cancer care, entailing that tackling cancer was a team effort that required a coordinated approach. It was a relatively new concept at the time, but 30 years later, multidisciplinarity is viewed as the best approach cancer treatment.[4]
It was consequently decided to bring together major players in cancer research, treatment, and care in order to create awareness of patients’ wishes and needs, encourage progressive thinking in cancer policy, education, and training, and continue to promote European cancer research and its application through the organisation of a multidisciplinary conference called ECCO -the European Conference on Clinical Oncology (later renamed ECCO-the European Cancer Conference).[5] To strengthen and further develop these ideas six professional societies, ESMO, ESTRO, ESSO, EACR, EONS, SIOPE legally founded FECS (Federation of European Cancer Societies).
After a period of reflection in 2006 and 2007, during which many players in oncology were consulted, FECS was transformed into a new dynamic entity: the European Cancer Organisation. This was officially announced at the European Cancer Conference in Barcelona in September 2007, where the organisation was launched under its new name.[6]