SPECIAL ISSUE: THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL CANCER ACT OF 1971 - COMMENTARY - SURVIVORSHIP CARE IN EUROPE AND POLICY EFFORTS IN THE LAST DECADE

Abstract

We present a summary of some of the important initiatives in Europe that have been developed in the last 2 decades to introduce psychosocial cancer care, survivorship and rehabilitation care in European cancer policies, including the major joint actions supported by the European Commission (EC) and Member States (MS), and some initiatives by the EC that have made improvements in these areas. Some reference to the European Cancer Organization (ECCO) initiatives, and the current EC Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, the new hope for Europeans, which combines all the knowledge of these former initiatives and evidence-based recommendations, intending to move forward cancer policies from plans to actions and implementation in each of the MS.

Keywords

• cancer care
• psychosocial care
• survivorship care
• european commission
• epaac
• cancon
• ecco
• cancer policy