About sixty cancer centers in 17 European countries have been brought together to provide better care for the thousands of patients suffering from a rare solid tumor.
Patients with rare cancers will be able to be treated anywhere in Europe thanks to the Euracan network. Officially launched on April 21, this partnership brings together 66 cancer centers in 17 countries of the European Union. Its objective: to improve the care of all patients suffering from these forms of cancer, to standardize practices and to guarantee access to innovation.
The Léon Berard center located in Lyon (Rhône-Alpes) is responsible for coordinating this new organization. Prof. Jean-Yves Blay, director general of the Léon Bérard center, hopes that this reference network on rare solid tumors will make it possible “to better understand these diseases in order to learn how to treat them better”.
Each year, more than 540,000 people in Europe are affected by these rare solid tumors. They are considered rare because they affect only 6 people in 100,000 Europeans. There are over 300 different ones that can affect any organ. Due to their complexity, they are often diagnosed late, and have a much poorer prognosis than other types of cancer.
A European network for pediatric cancers
So to increase the chances of survival of patients, doctors can advise their patients to go to a specialized center elsewhere in Europe. “We are stronger together when pathologies are rare,” notes Professor Blay.
In the next 5 years, all the countries of the European Union should be covered by this network funded by the European Commission. The Léon Bérard Center is also involved in the European network for rare pediatric cancers.
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