"Patients need to make themselves heard on an international level," says Heinz Ludwig, Chairman of the ESMO Patient Seminar Working Group. "There are 10 million cancer patients in Europe, each with family, friends and colleagues. Those millions of people are a great force for making cancer care as good as it possibly can be. Working together, we can make things better."

ESMO is committed to helping all cancer patients get the best possible care. The Patient Seminar, held in conjunction with the ESMO scientific conference, aims to connect patients and physicians, to provide information on new developments in the field of cancer and cancer therapy, and offer information and empowerment to help cancer patients cope with the variety of challenges they face.

"The Patient Seminar is breaking new ground by genuinely involving patients," said Lynn Faulds Wood, Chairperson of the European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC), a colorectal cancer survivor.

"Many times patient involvement is only spoken about rather than acted upon, but ESMO is doing something concrete, and patients are really involved in both planning and attending. Some patient groups, including ECPC, use the slogan 'Nothing about us without us'. I think all patients should use this slogan," Ms. Faulds Wood said.

For Stella Kyriakides, President of European Breast Cancer Coalition EUROPA DONNA, personal issues have already become political. "Cancer is a life-changing event for every individual and it is through this personal experience with breast cancer that I came to the realization there is a political perspective to all this. In order to bring about change in the battle against
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Contact: Gracemarie Bricalli
gracemarie@esmo.org
European Society for Medical Oncology
18-Oct-2004