In targeting improved healthcare quality and equality for patients across Europe, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides spoke at the University of Cambridge on Tuesday, following an invitation from the Lancet Breast Cancer Commission.
In her speech on breast cancer and the European Cancer Plan, the European Commissioner said, “The European Cancer Plan addresses cancer horizontally, with the same ambition and importance, whether it’s prevention, early detection, treatment, or quality of life.”
She noted, “Inequalities are glaring, and not addressing them is a missed opportunity, both for patients and societies,” highlighting that “the Lancet Breast Cancer Commission is an important partner in addressing gaps and inequalities.”
Kyriakides also stated that “collaboration is key, as you aptly note in the Lancet research, to address gaps in care,” adding that “the collaboration we are seeing now for cancer in Europe is unprecedented.”
“This collaboration,” she concluded, “must occur throughout the cancer journey and must place patients at the centre. This is, after all, the essence of the European Union of Health.”
Lastly, the European Commissioner for Health commended the scientists of the Lancet Breast Cancer Commission for the findings they presented.
