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g
Care and research are well integrated on a daily basis, and many high-level basic and
translational research teams are dedicated to paediatric malignancies.
g
Approximately 350 European public specialised centres in paediatric university hospitals
and comprehensive cancer centres take care of patients with a paediatric cancer, and
private practice is extremely rare.
g
There is a strong awareness of the needs and challenges for childhood cancer survivors,
with dedicated groups (e.g. PanCare, the Pan-European network for Care of survivors
after childhood and adolescent cancer) encompassing both healthcare professionals
and survivors.
g
Most clinical trials are run at the European level for each malignancy by well-organized
European Clinical Trial Groups (ECTGs).
g
Up to 90% of newly diagnosed patients are treated according to standard protocols
or in prospective clinical trials. Up to 40% of patients are treated within therapeutic trials,
both at diagnosis or at relapse, and clinical research is mainly led by academia, with
industry-sponsored trials representing less than 5% of biomedical research.
g
The paediatric haematology-oncology community is accustomed to working together
since more than 50 years, with a strong track record of publishing peer reviewed research.
Though the area of paediatric haematology-
oncology is small, it is extremely complex
and covers at least 60 different types of
cancer in a population ranging from new-
borns to teenagers, and even more when
biological markers (“biomarkers”) are
considered [6].
Strengths
Paediatric haematology-oncology
in Europe
THE SIOPE STRATEGIC PLAN
12
Credit Israel Society of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (ISPHO), Israel