On October 22-23, the European Alliance for Personalised Medicine (EAPM) participated in the final event of the BEACON project in Milan. Over the past two years, BEACON has provided a roadmap to improve coordination among cancer centres in Europe, enhancing access to care, research collaboration, and policy alignment. The final event gathered key stakeholders to discuss achievements, challenges, and the next steps.
A Roadmap for Better Cancer Care
BEACON has worked to address disparities in cancer care by strengthening cancer centres’ capacity and coordination. With the European Beating Cancer Plan’s goal of improving the lives of 3 million cancer patients, BEACON has outlined a framework to help cancer centres expand services, integrate research, and improve patient care.
The Milan event highlighted key findings, including how mapping cancer centres’ resources helps patients navigate care, improves collaboration among providers, and supports policymakers in resource allocation. BEACON’s emphasis on digital tools and data sharing has also improved the integration of registries, clinical data, and social determinants of health.
Reflections and Future Directions
The event brought together patients, healthcare providers, researchers, and policymakers to discuss cancer care improvements. Gabriella Pravettoni, Scientific Coordinator of the project and Director of Psychology at the European Cancer Institute (IEO) Milan, emphasized the need to sustain BEACON’s momentum beyond its two-year funding period.
She acknowledged the role of Roberto Grasso in leading the project and highlighted ongoing challenges in cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and end-of-life care. Despite advances in therapies, disparities remain in access to high-quality care across Europe.
The Impact of EAPM’s Involvement
As an advocate for personalised medicine, EAPM contributed to discussions on how policy can support BEACON’s roadmap. The event reaffirmed our commitment to collaboration between healthcare stakeholders and ensuring BEACON’s insights lead to policy action.
EAPM continues to support initiatives that enhance personalised cancer care, bridge research gaps, and advocate for policies that prioritize patient needs. The discussions in Milan reinforced the importance of multidisciplinary cooperation and data-driven decision-making in shaping future oncology strategies.
Looking Ahead
EAPM will continue to communicate BEACON’s outcomes and achievements, ensure open access to BEACON deliverables, and disseminate the BEACON Wiki with information on cancer centres across Europe.
See more: https://wiki.beaconcancer.org/index.php?title=Cancer_Beacon
