Belgium

Cancer care in Belgium

The quality of cancer care in Belgium, as measured by five-year survival for treatable cancers such as breast cancer, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer, is better than the EU average.¹ However, cancer remains one of the most common causes of death. Incidence and prevalence of cancer have been rising along with an ageing population and more effective treatment solutions.² The most frequently reported cancers for males are, respectively, prostate cancer, lung cancer and colon cancer. For females the most frequent cancer is breast cancer, with more than one third of reported cases, followed first by colon cancer and lung cancer.³ The challenge to improve cancer care and ensure sustainable cancer care remains high on the agenda and calls for action.

All.Can Belgium initiative

All.Can Belgium is a multi-stakeholder platform working to mobilise the Belgian cancer care community in order to achieve specific, implementable and ambitious projects. The aim is to achieve sustainable, efficient, innovative and patient-centred cancer care. All.Can Belgium brings together patient and care representatives, healthcare professionals, health experts, health economists, policymakers and industry representatives who are committed to this objective.

All.Can Belgium has five main goals:

• Align stakeholders on a joint vision on cancer care and create stakeholder support for this vision
• Initiate and realise projects to deliver on the vision
• Propose solutions that contribute to more efficient and innovative cancer care
• Proactively provide input to the policy debate
• Create societal support for the vision.

The scope of the All.Can Belgium initiative includes the following dimensions:

• The value and adoption of innovative, improved approaches in cancer care
• Resource allocation
• Patient access
• Quality of care.

Activities and milestones

• All.Can Belgium became an official All.Can national initiative on 11 June 2018
• Memorandum and vision document. These documents contain key messages from the All.Can Belgium community on patient centricity and innovative, sustainable cancer policies. They lay the foundation for the solution-oriented projects that are being developed with key stakeholders in cancer care
• All.Can Belgium had their event at Solvay Library in Brussels on 14 March 2019
• Publication of key findings for Belgium from the All.Can patient survey June/July 2019

References

1. OECD/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. 2017. Belgium: Country Health Profile 2017, State of Health in the EU. Available here: https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/belgium-country-health-profile-2017_9789264283299-en [accessed: June 2018]
2. Cancon. 2017. European Guide on Quality Improvement in Comprehensive Cancer Control. Available here: https://www.iccp-portal.org/sites/default/files/resources/Cancon_PolicyPaper2_032017.pdf [accessed: June 2018]
3. Stichting Tegen Kanker. Kanker in cijfers. Available here: https://www.kanker.be/alles-over-kanker/kanker-cijfers [accessed: June 2018]