It takes place during the Personalised Medicine month, dedicated to raising awareness of, and increasing access to, molecular and biomarker testing in cancer care across Europe.
Precision oncology represents a radical shift in how we approach cancer treatment. Instead of treating cancer based on the location or origin of the tumor in the body, treatments specifically target molecular or genomic alterations in the tumor, regardless of its location.
Precision oncology delivers value for patients, healthcare systems and societies.
It puts patients first by deploying tailored diagnostics and treatments, enabling rapid interventions, and providing options when standard of care no longer helps. It has better outcomes, fewer adverse events, and reduces costs.
There are considerable benefits for patients, through the reduction of treatments which may be ineffective, helping healthcare systems avoid unnecessary costs.
Several studies have shown how precision oncology can bring efficiency into the healthcare systems:
- A study on the management of advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) highlighted how precision oncology approaches decrease in healthcare costs, notably for the treatment of adverse events and end-of-life care (1).
- Analysis from a large private hospital in Ireland demonstrated significant opportunities for cost savings through reduced side effects management, reducing costs to €23,718 for universal screening instead of €232,061 in hospitalization expenses (2).
- A testing program for diagnostics in France reduced the lung cancer patient pool for anti-EGFR treatment from 24,558 to 2,532 with treatment savings of €101.3 million, and prevented 22,026 patients from an unsuitable treatment (3).
- The use of a gene panel predictive test to determine the benefit of chemotherapy in 592 breast cancer patients resulted in 58% net reduction in chemotherapy and net savings of €793,565 in one year (4)
The value of precision oncology does not stop at individual or healthcare system level: there is an increased socio-economic value for productivity according to a study of Dzau et al. (2015), which found that innovations in precision medicine could generate hundreds of billions of Euros in value in the form of longer, healthier lives enjoyed by patients (6).
The future of precision oncology promises to bring even greater value considering the demographic trends and the sustainability threats to healthcare systems.
This event comes at a pivotal moment, as the European Union transitions into a new mandate with new leadership shaping future legislative and policy priorities.
With health systems facing a prolonged period of pressure, the traditional “one size fits all” approach no longer works, and the need for safe-guarding health investment is more urgent than ever.
Draghi’s report, EU competitiveness: Looking ahead recognises precision medicine as a key driver for enhancing the EU’s competitiveness in the pharmaceutical sector, helping patients, optimising treatment efficacy and contributing to a more innovative and resilient healthcare system across Europe.
The Europe's Beating Cancer Plan will be reviewed before the end of 2024. The review will assess whether the actions taken are sufficient to achieve its objectives, or whether additional measures are necessary. Key Flagships, such us the Partnership on Personalised Medicine, the Development of a Roadmap to Personalised Prevention and the Genomic for Public Health project along with the 1+ Million Genomes Initiative, have a time end in 2025.
The vision of the EU Cancer Mission to improve the lives of more than 3 million people by 2030 still holds.
These initiatives align with the objective of this event to raise awareness about the critical role of precision oncology in improving patient outcomes, cancer care, innovation, equity and sustainability across Europe.
By bringing together policymakers, regional health authorities, patient advocates and healthcare providers we will explore how we can advance collaboratively to improve the uptake of precision oncology at a local level by leveraging the various EU initiatives and projects available. Through case studies and expert interventions, we aim to share already existing successful practices and to develop actionable recommendations to drive forward this critical agenda.
It is the optimal time to intensify efforts on policies that can facilitate adoption of tailored personalised approaches with proper infrastructure, well-equipped healthcare workforce, adequate funding and timely reimbursement. We want to provide equal access to diagnostics and treatments for cancer patients today, as well as laying the groundwork for a resilient health care system that prevents, diagnoses, and treats cancers earlier, efficiently, and sustainably.
By working together, we can ensure not to miss the 5-year timeline set by the EU Cancer Mission and maximize the value of every Euro invested.
Sources:
(1) Hofmarcher, T., Malmberg, C., & Lindgren, P. (2023). A global analysis of the value of precision medicine in oncology – The case of non-small cell lung cancer. Frontiers in Medicine, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2023.1119506
(2) Murphy, C., Byrne, S., Ahmed, G., Kenny, A., Gallagher, J., Harvey, H., O'Farrell, E., & Bird, B. (2018). Cost Implications of Reactive Versus Prospective Testing for Dihydropyrimidine Dehydrogenase Deficiency in Patients With Colorectal Cancer: A Single-Institution Experience. Dose-response: a publication of International Hormesis Society, 16(4), 1559325818803042. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559325818803042
(3) An evidence-based analysis to characterise the benefits of personalised medicines to patients, society and health care systems. Charles River Associates, July 2018
(4) Smyth et al. Economic impact of 21-gene recurrence score testing on early-stage breast cancer in Ireland Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2015; 153:573–582
(5) Dzau, V. J., Ginsburg, G.S., Van Nuys, K., Agus, D., and Goldman, D. (2015). Aligning incentives to fulfill the promise of personalised medicine. Lancet 385(9982):2118-2119. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60722- X
