From the 20^th until the 22^nd of February, DiCE attended the EASL Liver Cancer Summit in Paris, France. We had several inspiring meetings with representatives of other patient organisations, leading clinicians and nurses in the liver cancer field, and industry representatives to discuss perspectives and brainstorm about future projects.  

The conference featured outstanding scientific sessions on the most up-to-date research in the field of biliary tract cancers (BTCs) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Some highlights include:

For BTCs

To mark cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) day (20^th of February), the focus of the first session of the conference was BTCs. Speakers drew attention to a new series from The Lancet Regional Health – Europe on BTCs. The series includes a detailed infographic and two key papers, which were presented individually during the conference. The first paper focuses on systemic treatment paradigms and disparities in Europe for advanced BTCs; the second paper presents the results of a mapping research project that scoped the landscape of BTC diagnosis and management in Europe. Speakers also discussed new treatment modalities for BTCs, the evolving treatment landscape for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), and the critical role of multidisciplinary teams in selecting the CCA right treatment.

For HCC

Leading experts presented and discussed the new EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines for the treatment of HCC, which have just been released. Several speakers also highlighted the critical importance of a multidisciplinary approach in managing HCC, the key role of integrated care teams in improving outcomes and patient experiences, as well as the necessity of including the patient perspective in multidisciplinary team meetings. DiCE left this remarkable conference with several new ideas and inspiration to continue working in collaboration with all stakeholders toward the improvement of liver cancer patient outcomes.

Author:

Lili Anna Kuschnereit