Patients, caregivers and patient representatives came together from across Europe at the first SPARC Patient and Caregiver Advisory Meeting to share their experiences of cancer care and help shape the development of personalised cancer care within the project.
The first SPARC Patient and Caregiver Advisory Group (PCAG) meeting took place in May bringing patients, caregivers and patient representatives together from across Europe in an important early milestone for the project. The meeting created a space to share experiences of cancer care and marked a step forward in ensuring that patient voices are embedded in the development of personalised cancer care.
SPARC (Support of Personalised Medicine Approaches in Cancer) is a three-year European-funded project working to improve the implementation of personalised cancer care across Europe. The project brings together 17 partner organisations from 8 countries and focuses on improving how cancer is diagnosed and treated so that care can be better tailored to each individual patient.
Although personalised cancer care is developing quickly, access to care still differs across Europe. Some hospitals and healthcare systems have access to newer tests and specialist teams, while others do not. This means some patients may not be able to benefit from the latest approaches or may find it difficult to understand what these options mean for their treatment and care.
SPARC aims to address these differences by supporting the use of personalised cancer medicine in everyday healthcare and by encouraging collaboration between healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers, patients and caregivers.
The meeting marked the start of the SPARC Patient and Caregiver Advisory Group (PCAG), which will support the project and facilitate input from patients, caregivers and representatives from across Europe.
Members will contribute to the development of patient materials, guidance and engagement activities, helping ensure that personalised cancer care is communicated clearly, equitably and in a way that reflects real patient needs.
Participants in this first meeting showed strong interest in the project and were enthusiastic about contributing to future SPARC activities. Many indicated that they would like to be actively involved as regular contributors and look forward to seeing how their experiences can help improve how personalised care is delivered.
Patients and caregivers will play an important role throughout the project, contributing their perspectives and experiences to future SPARC activities.
Upcoming opportunities include:
This study suggests that people with severe AATD may develop early liver changes by around the age of 50, even if they have no symptoms and routine blood tests appear normal.
The findings also suggest that scans, such as transient elastography, may detect these changes earlier than standard blood tests. This could help support closer monitoring of liver health in people with severe AATD as they get older.
Future research involving larger and more diverse groups of people with severe AATD could help confirm these findings and improve understanding of liver disease risk across different populations.
Learn more about the initiative: https://short-url.org/1qIvD
Interested in joining? Register here: https://short-url.org/1qIvg
