Let's take a look at the latest news from the EU CAYAS NET project. This is a project co-funded by the European Commission that brings together leading organisations from 18 countries working in the field of childhood and adolescent cancer to map existing resources that are helpful to young cancer patients, survivors and their caregivers, to develop new European guidelines, and to empower cancer survivors to advocate for their rights and needs.
SIOPE is involved in several work packages of the EU CAYAS NET project, bringing the expertise and perspective of oncology healthcare professionals on issues related to the care of young people with cancer.
As part of the project's remit, SIOPE recently conducted an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Practice Survey among paediatric oncology service providers to understand the level of awareness of EDI across Europe and to explore the best practices and policies available to ensure inclusion and equal opportunities for minority groups within the survivor population.
The results of the EDI Practice Survey suggest that there is a growing awareness among healthcare professionals in Europe of the importance of EDI in healthcare settings.
However, there is still a need for more education and training on the subject. The survey also found that there is a strong interest among healthcare professionals in learning more about EDI and participating in initiatives to promote EDI in healthcare.
To maximise impact, the survey results will be used to develop policy recommendations.
In addition, last December SIOPE, in collaboration with Youth Cancer Europe, hosted a virtual roundtable on behalf of the EU CAYAS NET project entitled: Upscaling AYA Cancer Care: Towards Establishing Minimum Standards of Care for Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA) across Europe.
Chaired by Dr Daniel Stark from the University of Leeds and member of the SIOPE AYA Committee and Katie Rizvi Youth Cancer Europe CEO, the roundtable brought together healthcare professionals specialising in paediatric cancer, adolescents and young adults affected by cancer, and special guest Dr Jan-Willem Van-de-Loo from DG Research and Innovation, European Commission.
During the two-hour meeting, the stakeholders engaged in a dialogue on common practical recommendations for clinical practice and policy for the treatment and care of adolescents and young adults with cancer. The results of the roundtable will be used to develop the position paper "Specialist AYA Units Minimum Standards" within the EU co-funded European Network of Youth Cancer Survivors project.
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