Elisabetta Zanon, Chief Executive Officer of European Cancer Organisation, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Great week at European Health Forum Gastein! My biggest takeaway is the commitment to ensure that Europe’s Cancer Plan / Mission and the forthcoming European Cardiovascular Plan will complement each other:
European Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi stated that the interplay between the two plans is extremely clear and that if we look at the risk factors they are common. He also indicated that the Cancer Plan will serve as the blueprint for the development of the CVD Plan.
Importantly, the Commissioner said that “…the Cancer Plan is a major success and it here to stay, but it needs to evolve with the CVD Plan. So do not worry, there is no superiority of one over the other, on the contrary, we need both as we are addressing the same problems…”
The success of the Cancer Plan was also stressed by DG Sante’s Director General Sandra Gallina, in relation to the implementation of the European Health Union.
Member of the Cancer Mission Board – but also cancer and health failure survivor – Penilla Gunther, stressed that the elderly population is increasingly affected by more than one chronic disease, and it is therefore crucial to connect cancer and CVD. She mentioned that ‘the creation of Comprehensive Cancer Centers has put the ground for other disease diagnosis’ and highlighted the importance of the cardio-oncology specialty.
On my side, during the discussion, I echoed the synergies between the two plans throughout the care continuum from primary prevention, to screening and early detection – for example, during lung cancer screening CVD is often spotted; during mammograms markers for CVD can be identified; to treatment – some cancer treatments are toxic for the heart and can cause hearth failure; similarly, there is emerging evidence of impact of CVD on tumor growth.
The European Cancer Organisation stands ready to work collaboratively to ensure that synergies between the two plans are identified and acted upon for the benefit of European patients and the wider population.”
More posts featuring Elisabetta Zanon.
