Objectives: To further develop the access and availability of the comprehensive high quality of care in Comprehensive Cancer Care Networks to all European Member States (MS) and align the high standards in cancer care for all quality assured institutions with a focus on the interfaces between care and research (Comprehensive Cancer Care Networks (CCCNs) and Comprehensive Cancer Centres (CCC).

Description: Using the in the Join Action (JA) iPAAC Work Package10 developed tools the tumor-specific CCCN approach will be expanded and field tested with another tumor entity, a stronger focus on the patient centeredness as well as a training concept and supporting instruments for the set-up of CCCNs. CCCNs together with CCCs will be the foundation to reach the goal of Europe‘s Beating Cancer Plan (EBCP) to ensure high standards in cancer care and delivering higher quality care. In the previous JA CanCon and JA iPAAC CCCNs where defined and successfully piloted with the aim to ensure higher-quality care and reducing inequalities across the European Union (EU). And with this approach achieving that 90% of the patients benefit from diagnosis and treatment close to home till 2030. WP 6 is therefore a continuation of the theoretical framework of CCCNs developed during the JA CanCon and its translation into practice which was successfully achieved in WP 10, “Governance of integrated and comprehensive cancer care” of the JA iPAAC. In the JA iPAAC, WP 10 developed practical instruments to govern oncological care successfully (e.g., methodology to develop tumour and stage specific patient pathways and to derive quality indicators, Set of Standards for CCCNs (generic and tumor-specific) as well as a monitoring framework for the implementation of CCCNs. These instruments were field tested in two pilot sites in Poland and Germany and evaluated. The evaluation recommended that the concept is suitable for roll-out to other volunteering MS, but highlights that to implement CCCNs successfully, further support and training at the policy and institutional level are necessary.