Main features

The European Commission Initiatives on Breast and Colorectal Cancer main features include:

• These initiatives are based on the latest scientific evidence available and follow an international recognised methodology for their activities, which also provides for full transparency and traceability.
• The activities rely on the support of national representatives from all around Europe.
• The working groups are multidisciplinary teams including health care professionals, researchers as well as patient advocates who participate in every phase of the discussion and development of both the guidelines and the quality assurance scheme.
• The initiatives pay particular attention to patients' needs during the entire care pathway in a comprehensive manner.
• The initiatives foresee the development of European breast and colorectal cancer guidelines on cancer prevention, screening and diagnosis, and associated quality assurance schemes for healthcare services to facilitate the uptake of quality ensured screening and follow-up.
• The quality assurance schemes cover the entire cancer care pathway, from prevention and screening to diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, management of recurrence and palliative care.
• The European Commission supports the implementation of European guidelines and quality assurance schemes in interested countries.
• Possible conflicts of interests are managed through annual and specific declarations of interests.
• The EC initiative on Breast Cancer was the first initiative of this type undertaken by the Commission and has served as a blueprint for the development of colorectal cancer guidelines and quality assurance schemes. The lessons learned in the development of these pioneering projects will influence the design of its subsequent activities.