Brussels, 20/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - Some 250 people involved in cancer research and treatment met at the European Parliament on Thursday in the context of a conference organised by the European Commission in order to find avenues to better coordinate research activities in Europe, while directing them more towards the needs of patients. The conference was also to allow dialogue to be developed between scientific, industrial and heath professional circles and patient associations in order to reduce the gap that persists between fundamental research activities and applied research. This search for coherence, such as the concern to provide patients with speedier access to innovative and better adapted treatments, are shared both by the Commission and the Parliament which hoped they would appear in the 5th Framework Programme for Research, which has a budget of EUR 400 million for cancer research. The Commission has already received nearly 300 expressions of interest for the joint funding of the cancer research project.
After having recalled that cancer claims over 750,000 victims each year (240,000 new cases are detected annually in France and 24% of deaths are due to cancer in the United Kingdom), Commissioner Philippe Busquin insisted on the need to combat the structural weaknesses of European research and cited the dispersion of resources, the compartmentalisation of the national systems, the diversity of policies and strategies as well as the strong separation between fundamental research and clinical research. He stressed that, for the first time, the framework programme will explicitly cover clinical research. He felt that fundamental research workers and clinicians should therefore meet in the main networks of excellence and integrated points in order to more quickly translate scientific progress in applications and intervention to the benefit of the patients. The Commission, however, feels the most innovative aspect that is the closest to our concerns today is that the 6th Framework Programme may support the networking of national and regional programmes and the efforts of coordination between research managers, whether they come under national administrations, research agencies, foundations or research institutes.
Wim Van Velzen, Dutch Christian Democrat, said he was convinced a joint effort and the regrouping of initiatives would allow more and better research activity in Europe. He did not, however, fail to point out during a press conference the enormous difference in financing means available for research on the two sides of the Atlantic - a little over EUR 1 billion goes to research in oncology in the EU whereas public research financing will exceed $5 billion in the United States in 2003. He also urged for better coordination of research carried out in Europe and, above all, insisted on the need to reduce the duration (in some cases nearly thirty years) between the description of a fundamental discovery and its clinical development.
German Social Democrat Karin Jöns recommended a ten point strategy comprising: (1) development of evidence-based European guidelines for early detection, diagnosis, treatment and after-care for the most common forms of cancer; (2) the development of optimum models to increase the acceptance of and attendance at check-ups; (3) cancer research based on an interdisciplinary approach; (4) more research on courses of treatment; (5) more onco-psychological research on cancer; (6) gender-specific cancer research (symptoms, reactions, etc); (7) comparative research into the cost-effectiveness of various early detection and treatment methods; (8) development of European modules for continuing training for specialists; (9) support for successful networks; and (10) closer involvement of patients' organisations. In order to remedy the shortcomings of European research and of EU activities in the health field, Ms Jöns also suggested the creation of an Internet website, common to the DG Research and Health at the European Commission.