EUROPA DONNA - The European Breast Cancer Coalition

❄️ Our November ED-News is out! ➡️ November was a transformative month for Europa Donna, proving that the momentum of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October continues to inspire change. 📣 Explore November’s key highlights: our Advocacy Leader Conference, participation in the European Cancer Summit, the publication of the ECO Report on Women and Cancer, and more! 🔗 Visit this link: https://bit.ly/3D14UsQ to read our November ED-News.

➡️ At the Press Conference held on the 3rd December in Brussels, on the eve of the European Cancer Forum themed “Implementing a sustainable future for Cancer Care”, our President Stella Mastora addressed important topics very close to our heart as Europe’s Breast Cancer Coalition: “Despite significant advancements in cancer care, prioritizing cancer in global and European policy remains critical to address persistent inequalities in prevention, early detection, treatment, and survivorship. Policies must promote healthy lifestyle changes, tackle the unique challenges of both aging and younger populations, and ensure equal access to care and quality of life improvements. Additionally, specific legislation is needed on a national level to eliminate discrimination against cancer survivors, including rights to work, social protection, and "the right to be forgotten" to allow them the basic civil right of obtaining a loan, a mortgage, or life insurance”

🌸 Looking back at Breast Cancer Awareness Month 🌸 Each October, Europa Donna Coalition unites for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time to inspire prevention, support patients and caregivers, and foster greater awareness about breast health. 💗 At the heart of this mission is Breast Health Day, celebrated on October 15th. It's a key moment to empower people of all ages to take proactive steps for prevention and recognize the life-saving importance of early detection. Across Europe, our member countries held impactful events throughout the month—spreading knowledge, hope, and solidarity. We’re so proud of their dedication and the unique initiatives that contribute to our shared mission of educating, advocating, and supporting the fight against breast cancer. ✨ Swipe to see snapshots of the amazing activities from some of our member countries, and stay tuned for our upcoming online article to dive deeper into their efforts this October! 💪 Together, we’re making a difference 💕

📅 Join SPCC (Sharing Progress in Cancer Care) on 19 December 2024 at 18:00 CET for a live session on the Breast cancer highlights from the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2024. 🔬 What to Expect: - Cutting-edge insights on Early Breast Cancer (EBC) and Advanced Breast Cancer (ABC) - Expert analysis by world-leading oncologists Fatima Cardoso and Shani Paluch-Shimon, with Nadia Harbeck as discussant - A live interactive Q&A: your opportunity to ask the experts! 🔗 Register today: https://lnkd.in/dgFAUHSC

📢 We’re thrilled to announce that Fiorita Poulakaki, MD, PhD, FEBS, CEBS, our VP, will be speaking today as a panelist in MELIORA EU Horizon Project’s upcoming policy debate! Fiorita will share national best practices for addressing gaps in breast cancer prevention and discuss actionable steps the EU can take to enhance collaboration among research institutes, healthcare providers, and civil society to strengthen preventive measures. 🗓 Date: 20th November 2024 ⏰ Time: 17:00 CET 💻 Format: Virtual 🔴 Last chance to register! ➡ https://shorturl.at/PeR8c

♟️📣 This past Saturday, Europa Donna held its annual Advocacy Leader Conference in Milan. ➡️ We were honoured to host over 70 experienced advocates from 35 countries. The event opened with a recorded message from Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, stressing the critical importance of continued breast cancer advocacy at the European level. The conference provided specialized training for breast cancer advocates, with exceptional speakers sharing the latest insights and advancements. 🔬 Thomas Hofmarcher and Silvia Deandrea discussed three decades of progress in public health and cancer epidemiology, highlighting improved survival rates, enhanced personalized treatments, and ongoing challenges such as health inequalities. 🩺 Clinical oncology expert Gabe Sonke shared the latest innovations in early-stage breast cancer treatment, emphasizing how advancements are improving cure rates with better efficacy and reduced toxicity. 🌟 Fatima Cardoso, Director of the Breast Unit and President of ABC Global Alliance, presented 30 years of findings on early and metastatic breast cancer, emphasizing the importance of patients understanding their cancer type and advocating for research on biomarkers. 🤖 Michail Ignatiadis and Isabel T. Rubio explored how AI is transforming cancer research, prevention, and treatment, focusing on reducing pathology errors, discovering biomarkers, and the need for rigorous testing and standardization in healthcare AI. 📢 Ines Vaz-Luis emphasized the importance of patient engagement in research, advocating for studies done "with/by patients" rather than "for/about patients." ✨ A powerful video by Lesley Fallowfield DBE offered guidance for families and friends of advanced breast cancer patients. 🫂 The day concluded with a workshop led by Tamás Bereczky PhD to explore the distance barriers and inequalities in breast cancer treatment. We are grateful to all our speakers, advocates, and participants who made this event a success. Together, we continue to push the boundaries of breast cancer advocacy, research, and patient support! 👏

🌸 Special issue of Rak magazine in Serbia: dedicated to breast cancer 🌸 We are proud to share that Evropa dona Srbija had the opportunity to produce the March 2024 issue of Rak (meaning "Cancer"), a magazine distributed by the Serbian Society for Cancer to patients and primary healthcare units across Serbia. This special issue was dedicated to raising awareness about breast cancer 💖 The response from readers was overwhelmingly enthusiastic, and the impact of this issue has been truly remarkable! 👏 Well done, Europa Donna Serbia! 🌟

In honour of European #FertilityWeek, we’re resharing our White Paper on Cancer and Family Planning 📖 🌸 Young women diagnosed with breast cancer in Europe face many challenges, even more when it comes to starting a family. Some examples: ➡️ Fear of the impact of cancer treatment on fertility 📣 Little awareness and limited access to fertility preservation options 🫂 Emotional and psychological stress 🩷 Sexual discomfort There is need for stronger support from healthcare professionals specialised in onco-fertility ✊ ✨ Our White Paper seeks to improve quality of life for individuals living with or after breast cancer by ensuring they have the resources, information, and support to make informed decisions about family planning. 🙏 We’re calling on EU Member States, healthcare institutions, and policymakers to step up and address these critical issues in cancer care. Read the White Paper 🔗 https://bit.ly/46sO6F1 Please share within and beyond your community! #EFW #EuropeanFertilityWeek

📣 Europa Donna is proud to have collaborated with the European Cancer Organisation on a crucial new action paper, advocating for gender equality in healthcare. ➡️ An estimated 12 million women in Europe are living with cancer. That’s 12 million reasons for action! ✊ Together, let’s turn these essential steps into reality. Every woman deserves a future filled with health, choice, and hope 🌸✨ 🔗 Read the full paper here: https://lnkd.in/ekADcQ8b

✨💫🌸 Our October ED-News is out! As Breast Cancer Awareness Month draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on an inspiring month filled with impactful events and initiatives. Here’s a look back at how Europa Donna advanced the conversation on breast cancer awareness, research, and women’s health across its countries. ➡️ 🔗 Visit this link: https://bit.ly/4ft7w0G to read our October ED-News. ✨ Subscribe on our website at the bottom of the homepage so you don’t miss a thing!