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Why does cancer survivorship matter?

Roger Wilson, a Session’s Chair of the EORTC Cancer Survivorship Summit, was diagnosed with a soft tissue sarcoma in 1999. Roger has had ten operations, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These have included a lower leg amputation in 2007 and two thoracic metastectomy operations in mid-2013. Three years after his diagnosis, Roger founded Sarcoma UK which offers a range of services to patients with this type of cancer. His experience as a cancer survivor is a significant testimonial to define the challenges faced by cancer survivors. It is one testimonial among others from patients who will attend this Summit.

“As far as everyone else is concerned you look normal but you have this experience behind you which is hard to forget and can shape the way you react to situations,” said Roger.

Over the past several decades, tremendous progress has been achieved on the survival of cancer patients thanks to successful clinical research and innovative drugs. “Today, a cancer diagnosis is no longer a death sentence however cancer risks remaining a life sentence, because of the lack of research into survivorship,” said Françoise Meunier, EORTC Special Projects Director. “What there has been is very fragmented, so having a strategically driven event such as EORTC Cancer Survivorship Summit which allows people to come together to consider how we set research agendas in survivorship is badly needed,” added Roger.

The EORTC created the Cancer Survivorship Summit to bring together multidisciplinary experts that will address physical and psychological issues but also the societal issues so the survivors can get back to normal life, which includes obtaining financial services and health insurances.

“As someone who was treated on an EORTC clinical trial in 2000 (EORTC 62971) I have always been aware of the organisation and of the breadth of its work. So I applaud EORTC, I enjoy working with its team of many talents, and I always talk positively about its work.”

Roger Wilson will be a Session’s Chair and will talk about Patient’s perspective during the Physical issues session on March 2, 2018 from 8:45 until 10:15 am.

To subscribe to the EORTC Cancer Survivorship Summit, go on the conference website.

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