title: Cancer Control in Central and Eastern Europe: Current Situation and Recommendations for Improvement.
abstract: : The incidence of many cancers is higher in Western European (WE) countries, but mortality is frequently higher in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. A panel of oncology leaders from CEE countries participating in the South Eastern European Research Oncology Group (SEEROG) was formed in 2015, aiming to analyze the current status and trends of oncology care in CEE and to propose recommendations leading to improved care and outcomes. The SEEROG panel, meeting during the 11th Central European Oncology Congress, proposed the following: (a) national cancer control plans (NCCPs) required in all CEE countries, defining priorities in cancer care, including finance allocation considering limited health care budgets; (b) national cancer registries, describing in detail epidemiological trends; (c) efforts to strengthen comprehensive cancer centers; (d) that multidisciplinary care should be mandated by the NCCPs; (e) that smaller hospitals should be connected to multidisciplinary tumor boards via the Internet, providing access to specialized expertise; (f) nationwide primary prevention programs targeting smoking, obesity, and alcohol consumption and centrally evaluated secondary prevention programs for cervical, colorectal, and breast cancers; (g) prioritize education for all involved in cancer care, including oncology nurses, general practitioners, and palliative care providers; (h) establish outpatient care in day hospitals to reduce costs associated with the current inpatient model of care in CEE countries and to improve patients' quality of life; (i) long-term pharmacoeconomic evaluations of new therapies in CEE countries; (j) increase national oncology budgets in view of the higher mortality rates in CEE compared with WE countries; and (k) CEE countries urgently need help from the European Union to increase and monitor overall investment in cancer care.
  
  
  
  Significant differences in cancer incidence and mortality have been observed between European countries. While the incidence of many cancer types is higher in Western European (WE) countries, the mortality is generally higher in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The primary purpose of this review was to describe the current status and trends of oncology care in the CEE region, to raise awareness among physicians, regulators, and payers, and to propose the most needed changes in order to make the oncology care in CEE closer to the WE standards.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Clinical Hospital Center Split, School of Medicine, University of Split, Split, Croatia edo.vrdoljak@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Eduard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vrdoljak
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, St. László Teaching Hospital, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Gyorgy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bodoky
authors.affiliation: Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jassem
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Tumor Center Aarau, Aarau, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Razvan A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Popescu
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovak Republic National Cancer Institute, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Jozef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mardiak
authors.affiliation: Division of Oncology and Hematology, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pirker
authors.affiliation: University Clinic Golnik, Golnik, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Čufer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oncology, Clinical Center, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
authors.forename: Semir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bešlija
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Tumors, Cancer Institute "Prof. Dr. I. Chiricuta" Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Alexandru
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eniu
authors.affiliation: Oncology and Radiotherapy Clinic, Clinical Centre of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Todorović
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, University Hospital Motol, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Kateřina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kubáčková
authors.affiliation: National Hospital of Oncology, Sofia, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: Galia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kurteva
authors.affiliation: Daily Chemotherapy Hospital, Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Zorica
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tomašević
authors.affiliation: Oncology Institute, University Hospital Center Mother Teresa, Tirana, Albania.
authors.forename: Agim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sallaku
authors.affiliation: Institute of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Skopje, Macedonia.
authors.forename: Snezhana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Smichkoska
authors.affiliation: Biometrika Healthcare Research, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Žarko
authors.initials: Ž
authors.lastname: Bajić
authors.affiliation: Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
authors.forename: Branimir I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Šikić
mesh_terms: D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D017850:Economics, Pharmaceutical; D005060:Europe; D015994:Incidence; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012042:Registries
keywords: Cancer; Health care budget; Incidence; Mortality; Oncology; South-East Europe