Cancer Research - Europa

Keywords | Oncology | anticancer therapy | clinical pharmacology | uncommon cancer | sarcomas |
GIST | children | adults |
CONTICANET
Connective Tissue Cancers’ Network
to integrate the European Experience
in Adults and Children
Summary
Connective tissue cancers, and more specifically sarcomas,
GIST, aggressive fibromatosis and hamartomas, are uncommon
cancers with an incidence below 2/100 000 per year in
the EU aff ecting children, young adults and adults. At a national
level, the limited number of cases (about 7/10 000 in Europe
each year) does not allow Europe to have a critical mass of
researchers and the supporting environment to progress in
the disease understanding and management and to have
access to new drugs and treatments. Europe, however, has
proven with research made on GIST, through the EORTC-STBSG
group, that gathering workforces can achieve significant
progress. CONTICANET will create the critical mass of key
stakeholders to overcome the current difficulties in terms of
lack of data and data fragmentation, mobility of researchers,
heterogeneity of methodologies and legislations.
CONTICANET will:
• start by providing the required environment for developing
joint research activities through the development of
standard operating procedures (SOP), distributed databases,
tissue banks and harmonisation of ongoing and
previous research projects, to promote complementarity
and perform parallel research programmes according to
similar SOPs;
• provide the infrastructure to test several drug candidates
and perform European wide exploratory clinical trials while
implementing a federated research policy;
• further lead to an integrated sustainable structure – a European
research foundation – able to support integrated
research actions and make new treatments available.
Involving 20 partners – major comprehensive cancer centres,
academia and private companies – over a period of
five years, CONTICANET will gather the critical mass of
resources and knowledge in the understanding, diagnosis
and clinical management of connective tissue cancers, at
the same time opening new therapeutic options.
CONTICANET will spread excellence in several directions:
enlarging the network with other academic and private organisations;
developing working sessions with EMEA, health
authorities and insurances in order to optimise the availability
of new therapeutic options; supporting and collaborating with
patients through advocacy groups and cancer leagues.
Problem
Scientifi c challenges
• Connective tissue tumours: a collection of rare tumours.
• Molecular characterisation is routine for few tumours, in
progress for other tumours but unknown for most
tumours.
• There is a need for harmonisation of research activities
in the following fi elds:
• molecular characterisation of these tumours,
• functional genomics.
• Pharmacology: target characterisation and validation.
• Promotion of clinical and translational research.
• Improvement of medical practices.
• Education of the physicians for CPGs.
• Epidemiology and medical economics.
Medical challenges
• Demonstrated ‘proof of concept’ for several connective
tissue subtypes.
• Targeted oncogene treatments are active treatments.
• Harmonisation of research activities, medical practices
and education in a context where:
• patients are not always treated in specialised centres;
• most patients are not treated according to CPGs;
• structured clinical research and TR in large centres
and network.
• Medical practices do not follow clinical practice guidelines
for more than 60 % of patients in most western countries
so there is a need for education of physician and patients.
Economical challenges
Health:
Inappropriate management results in increased costs.
Survival and functional disabilities in adults and children.
Identifi cation of novel targets and treatment:
Generate intellectual propriety.
Commercialisation of new agents.
Transfer towards industrial partners:
Perform rapid proof of concept clinical trials.
Generate synergy between European academia and industry.
Political challenges
Strengthen and harmonise European research in
these rare tumours:
Establish the network as the worldwide leading force for
research in these rare tumours.
Promote academic and industrial collaborations:
Generate a network with integrated joint research progra m mes.
Include new partners from academia, industry and patients
advocacy groups.
Ensure the long term viability of the network.
BIOLOGY 23