Diabetes, Cancer, Hepatitis Archives

The EU's ambitious plans to beat cancer would be complemented by taking greater account of how complementary therapies can improve quality of life alongside medical treatment, panellists argued at a EURACTIV event on ‘Integrative oncology’.

Diabetes patients will be among the beneficiaries of the much-awaited European health data space seeking to make good use of healthcare data across the bloc, according to policymakers and health stakeholders.

Diabetes remains a major public health concern despite the efforts to increase awareness and reverse its relentless spread in Europe.

Ewa Myślińska is a 29-year-old patient who has been fighting cancer for four years now. She remembers it was 9 October when she touched her breast incidentally and felt a strange hardness. EURACTIV Poland reports.

Spain’s focus on handling the COVID-19 pandemic has overshadowed other vital healthcare fields. Medical professionals warn that an increasing number of patients are now only accessing treatment when the cancer has already spread.

Despite efforts to raise awareness by the authorities, patients with metastatic breast cancer in Italy are still struggling to understand what options they have and often lose precious time trying to identify the latest available treatments.

Treatments for metastatic breast cancer (MBC), which affects thousands of European women every year, have progressed and can now significantly prolong a patient’s life but decision-makers still don't take this fully into account, an expert has told EURACTIV.

Slovenia, as part of its EU Trio Presidency with Germany and Portugal, adopted on Tuesday (7 September) a document on approaches to actively involve patients in cancer research.

The European Commission has set new maximum levels for two cancer-causing food contaminants, cadmium and lead, in a range of food products, due to enter into force at the end of the month.

The world is on a mission to eliminate viral hepatitis as a major public health threat by 2030. But the World Health Organisation has warned that despite positive progress in recent years, “there is still a long way to go”. 

The European Parliament has called for the creation of a strategy to completely eliminate cancer-causing asbestos in a bid to strengthen workers' protection and reduce exposure to this common chemical.

There is a large inequality of access to women's cancer services and treatments across the block, according to the EU health chief, who highlighted the role of Europe's Beating Cancer plan in bridging these disparities.

Alcoholic drinks have been treated differently to tobacco products in Europe's Beating cancer plan, as overuse, not its use, will be targeted by the Commission's initiatives.

Stakeholders in the health sector widely welcomed the long-awaited Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, unveiled on Wednesday (3 January), as a "new era for cancer care and cancer patients" which places the European Union at the forefront of research and innovation efforts. 

The much-awaited ‘Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan’ intends to create a knowledge centre to coordinate the scientific and technical cancer-related initiatives at the EU level, including the European health data space, according to a leaked draft of the plan.

The much-awaited 'Europe's Beating Cancer Plan' is being shaped with a strong push on prevention, targeting in particular alcohol and tobacco products, including novel tobacco products like e-cigarettes, EURACTIV has learnt.

The European Union has a critical role to play in optimising the management of diabetes care, by setting clear boundaries and precise objectives through its research funds, an expert has told EURACTIV.

Biomarker testing holds the potential to revolutionise early diagnosis and prevention of cancer. But the EU has not yet managed to fully capitalise on these advances, according to health experts.

The establishment of integrated budgets to tackle diabetes in Europe could bring much better outcomes for patients and simultaneously reduce avoidable costs for health systems of European countries, a new report has found.

There is an urgent need for specific recommendations over lung-cancer screening at the highest political levels in order to detect early and tackle lung cancer, the “biggest killer cancer”, stakeholders have said.

Belgium has an enormous wealth of digital data, which could help it become a new “mining” country. “We could mine data instead of coal”, Belgian Health Minister told EURACTIV.com in an interview.

The President of the European Commission launched an EU-wide public consultation on Europe's Beating Cancer Plan on Tuesday (4 February), announcing an EU-wide "open health data space" in support of research, prevention and cure.

Every day in Europe, new cancer cases are diagnosed. Every day in Europe, patients, their families and friends experience the tidal wave of emotions that a cancer diagnosis brings with it. Uncertainty about the future, feelings of shock, sadness, anger, …