Efficiency hub

In Europe, survival rates for several types of cancer vary considerably between countries. This may be due to differences in lifestyle factors and care-seeking behaviours, but it may also result from unwanted variation in the provision and quality of cancer care. In 2002, the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI) launched the Accreditation and Designation (A&D) Programme to improve and standardise care and research in European cancer centres.

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among men in the United Kingdom (UK). The Christie NHS Foundation Trust introduced community-based prostate cancer clinics led by specialist nurses in order to overcome challenges experienced by prostate cancer patients with regards to follow-up appointments after radiotherapy and/or surgery.

The UK has lower survival rates for many types of cancer than the rest of Europe, partly due to delays in diagnosis. When people present with non-specific symptoms, general practitioners may find it difficult to determine whether further clinical investigations are needed. This may delay access to treatment, limit treatment options and reduce survival rates. To address this, Macmillan Cancer Support developed a Cancer Decision Support tool that calculates a person’s risk of having an undiagnosed cancer based on symptoms, medical history and demographic data, and helps GPs consider whether further testing or specialist referral is needed.

While breast cancer diagnoses in Australia are increasing, the mortality rate has declined following improvements in screening, diagnosis and treatment. The information needs for people with breast cancer are likely to increase as many are diagnosed at a younger age, have a range of treatments to choose from and have to navigate survivorship. In 2019, Breast Cancer Network Australia launched the My Journey online tool to provide tailored information to people with breast cancer, using demographic, diagnostic and treatment data, which is updated and amended as they progress through their care pathway.

The importance of efficiency has become more evident than ever following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. As healthcare systems adapt and restructure to manage the crisis, we must focus on using resources efficiently and effectively to support the fight against COVID-19, minimise the impact of the pandemic on cancer services and patient outcomes, and protect people with cancer, their families and carers from infection. The All.Can efficiency hub hopes to contribute to these efforts by sharing innovative examples of how cancer care is adapting in response to COVID-19.

Emergency care departments are typically designed to care for people for up to six hours. However, some people cannot be safely discharged within that timeframe. The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center set up an observation unit to enable an additional 24 to 48 hours of observational care before hospital admission.

Models of cancer care that focus solely on active treatment leave people with cancer unsupported for a large part of their care pathway. Two centres in Italy set up supportive care services to address this issue.

The European Society of Oncology Pharmacy launched the Empowering Pharmacists to Improve Healthcare for Oral Chemotherapy Patients (EPIC) project to establish a European best-practice model for pharmacists dispensing oral anticancer agents.

France introduced the ‘right to be forgotten’ law, which states that some cancer survivors are exempt from disclosing their history of cancer to insurers. The ‘right to be forgotten’ aims to reduce the socioeconomic burden on cancer survivors by improving their access to loans and insurance.