The auditing documents for 2026 including an updated Catalogue of Requirements and Data Sheet are now available for download on the website. In case of any questions please do not hesitate to contact us under info@ecc-cert.org
The Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (ITLD) in Warsaw is a leading hospital for pulmonology, thoracic oncology, and surgery, providing comprehensive lung cancer care, from advanced diagnostics to surgical and systemic treatments.
On 27 November 2025, the Kick-Off Workshop took place at ITLD in Warsaw. Representatives from ITLD met with the EUnetCCC WP9 team of the German Cancer Society (DKG) and the National Institute of Public Health in Poland (NIZPH) to strengthen collaboration toward establishing a Comprehensive Cancer Care Network (CCCN) for Lung Cancer. Participants discussed the framework for establishing a CCCN, focusing on standards, quality indicators, data documentation requirements, and patient-centred care pathways. The exchange highlighted both opportunities and challenges in developing a coordinated cancer care structure that offers patients seamless and comprehensive support across the entire treatment.
We sincerely thank ITLD for hosting this insightful and productive workshop. The dialogue and shared commitment mark an important step toward advancing high-quality lung cancer care in Poland. We are excited to continue this collaboration and work together towards establishing a CCCN for lung cancer.
The Clinical Center of the Medical University of Gdańsk (MUG) is one of the largest hospitals in Poland. Through its close cooperation with the university, Gdansk access to the most modern technology, global medical knowledge and clinical research. Within the JA EUnetCCC, the Medical University of Gdańsk is already working toward Comprehensive Cancer Centre (CCC) certification. Now, MUG is taking the next step: Also part of the JA EUnetCCC, the university is engaging in the development of a certified Comprehensive Cancer Care Network (CCCN) for Lung Cancer.
On 25 November, our team from the German Cancer Society and the National Institute of Public Health in Poland visited the Medical University of Gdańsk for the Opening Workshop to provide input for establishing a CCCN. During the workshop, we gained first valuable insights into the hospital’s organisation and patient care, including nutrition, psycho-oncology, and the well-established patient coordinator approach. For the development of the CCCN, we focused on set of standards, quality indicators, data documentation, and patient pathways, and discussed challenges and opportunities, particularly with regard to patient-centred cancer care.
In Gdańsk, we took the first steps of our joint collaboration. We sincerely thank our pilot CCCN partner MUG for their hospitality and the inspiring exchange. We look forward to continuing this cooperation to expand access to high-quality cancer care across Europe.
The week from October 27 to 31, 2025 marked an important milestone in the collaboration between the Joint Action EUnetCCC and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of Ukraine.
Despite the ongoing challenges in their home country, three colleagues from the NCI, Dr. Yurii Kondratskyi, Mykyta Pepenin and Oleksii Dobrzhanskyi, joined us to exchange experiences, learn from certified cancer centres in Germany, and discuss the first steps towards setting up a Comprehensive Cancer Care Network (CCCN) in Kyiv.
The visit began at the University Hospital Chemnitz, Clinic for Thoracic, Angio- and Endovascular Surgery, a longstanding DKG-certified Lung Cancer Center. Dr. Sven Seifert and his team warmly welcomed the delegation and shared insights into their work. Over two intensive days, the group explored the structure and workflow of multidisciplinary teams, observed procedures in minimally invasive and robotic surgery, and attended tumor boards in thoracic and visceral oncology.
Dr. Seifert and his colleagues shared their remarkable experience in developing high-quality, patient-centred care, demonstrating how coordinated multidisciplinary collaboration can make a measurable difference for patients.
On October 31, the group met in Berlin for the Opening Workshop, hosted by the German Cancer Society (DKG). The meeting focused on practical aspects of implementing a CCCN, reviewing the Set of Standards, the CCCN Partner Matrix, and approaches to Data Management, Quality Indicators, and Patient Pathways.
Special thanks to our partners Dr. Nikolai Goncharenko (Luxembourg Institut National du Cancer (INC)), and Dr. Sergej Popovich (MammoLOAD), who kindly joined the meeting and shared their extensive experience with certification processes.
This week laid the foundation for further collaboration between Ukraine NCI and EUnetCCC WP9 to establish a sustainable and high-quality pilot CCCN in Ukraine.
Together, we take another step toward improving access to comprehensive, high-quality cancer care for all patients in Europe.
The EUnetCCC Work Package 6 (WP6) and Work Package 9 (WP9) teams met in October at the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) to align our approaches on capacity building and practical tools for supporting candidate Comprehensive Cancer Centres (CCCs) and Comprehensive Cancer Care Networks (CCCNs).
Participants included representatives from the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO, Spain), the German Cancer Society (DKG, Germany), the Estonian Cancer Network (ESTCAN, Estonia), Lillebaelt Hospital, Department of Oncology (RSYD, Denmark), and Technische Universität Dresden (TUD, Germany).
Together, we are working to ensure that future CCCs and CCCNs benefit from effective training concepts and tools. Another step toward building strong, connected, and quality-assured cancer care in Europe.
On October 10, healthcare institutions in Luxembourg met with the EUnetCCC WP9 team from the Deutsche Krebsgesellschaft (DKG) to kick off the collaboration to establish a Comprehensive Cancer Care Network (CCCN) for Gynaecological Cancers in Luxembourg.
The workshop, hosted by the Institut National du Cancer (INC), brought together representatives from four hospitals – Hôpitaux Robert Schuman (HRS), Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL), Centre Hospitalier du Nord (CHdN), and Centre Emile Mayrisch (CHEM) – as well as colleagues from Centre François Baclesse (CFB) and Laboratoire National de Santé (LNS). Together, they aim to draw on the support and expertise of EUnetCCC partners to establish a joint CCCN, aligned with European quality standards.
There is a strong sense of momentum and optimism around this endeavour. Luxembourg was already involved in the previous Joint Action CraNE and successfully developed a pilot CCCN for Lung Cancer. Building on this experience, the participating institutions are now well-positioned to expand the CCCN approach to Gynaecological Cancers.
The event marked an important step in the EUnetCCC Joint Action’s goal to ensure that 90% of eligible patients in Europe have access to high-quality, comprehensive cancer care.
From 22–24 October 2025, the German Cancer Society (DKG) and the Polish National Institute of Public Health – National Institute of Hygiene – National Research Institute (NIZP PZH-PIB) hosted two important WP9 events in Warsaw as part of the Joint Action EUnetCCC: the 1st Knowledge Exchange Workshop (KEW) and the 2nd WP9 Meeting with up to 130 participants, on site and online.
In particular, the Knowledge Exchange Workshop marked a major achievement for WP9.
For the first time since the project’s start, all pilot Comprehensive Cancer Care Networks (CCCNs) came together to exchange experiences, progress, and challenges.
The KEW focused on key building blocks of CCCN implementation:
Beyond the technical discussions, the KEW provided a unique opportunity for mutual learning and networking, connecting CCCNs across Europe to exchange on practical implementation, governance structures, and multidisciplinary collaboration.
Building on this exchange, the 2nd WP9 Meeting followed on 23–24 October as the continuation of our WP9 KOM held in February 2025 in Berlin.
This second meeting focused on the further development of the CCCN model, including the presentation of the 3-tier CCCN concept, updates on the Set of Standards for Lung, Colorectal, Pancreatic and Prostate cancer, as well as Gynaecological Cancers and Quality Indicators for Colorectal Cancer. On top of that WP9 presented and discussed supporting tools for CCCN certification.
All these supporting instruments will assist our 15 CCCN pilots from 9 Member States, who had the opportunity to present themselves and share updates on their achievements.
Additionally, participants explored capacity building opportunities and synergies with other Work Packages (WP5, WP6, and WP8) as well as European initiatives such as JANE2 and the EC Quality Assurance Schemes.
We are deeply grateful for the active participation and commitment of our CCCN pilots and WP9 members from across Europe, who are
bringing so many engaged colleagues together in one place once again demonstrated the strength of collaboration and exchange in advancing high-quality, patient-centred cancer care in Europe.
We look forward to carrying this collaborative energy into the next phase, transforming shared insights into concrete progress and lasting improvement in cancer care across Europe.
The EUnetCCC Work Package 5 (WP5) and Work Package 9 (WP9) teams met at the National Institute of Public Health (NIZP PZH–PIB) to advance alignment between the certification systems of Comprehensive Cancer Centres (CCCs) and Comprehensive Cancer Care Networks (CCCNs).
Participants of the Alignment Workshop included representatives from the French High Authority of Health (HAS, France), Unicancer (France), the German Cancer Society (DKG, Germany), the National Institute of Public Health – National Institute of Hygiene (NIZP PZH–PIB, Poland), the Research Group Digital Health at the Technical University of Dresden (TUD, Germany), and the Wroclaw University of Economics and Business (WUEB).
Discussions focused on exploring synergies between WP5 and WP9, strengthening interfaces between CCCs and CCCNs, and identifying opportunities to streamline tools and processes, ensuring coherent, transparent, and user-friendly certification systems.
This was another important step toward building a consistent, integrated, and quality-assured landscape of cancer care in Europe.
After a short summer break, our series of Opening Workshops within the EUnetCCC project resumed – this time at the West and North West Cancer Centre (HSE West) in Galway, Ireland.
The workshop on 24 September 2025 focused on the development of a Comprehensive Cancer Care Network (CCCN) for Lung Cancer.
HSE West and Northwest serve as the main stakeholders for cancer care in the region, covering around 15% of Ireland’s population (760,000 people).
With a designated NCCP Cancer Centre in Galway, the region provides complex multidisciplinary cancer care and coordinates tumour-specific pathways across multiple hospitals.
HSE West aims to strengthen its Rapid Access Lung Cancer Programme, enhance patient pathways, and expand the use of Patient Reported Experience Measure and Patient Reported Outcome Measures to improve the quality and patient experience of care. The centre also aspires to achieve peer review certification as part of its engagement in EUnetCCC, building on its existing OECI accreditation and involvement in other European initiatives.
During the workshop, participants discussed the EUnetCCC Set of Standards, regional disparities and challenges, and practical steps towards establishing a certified CCCN.
The meeting also highlighted the centre’s strong academic and clinical expertise, including extensive experience in lung cancer diagnostics, multidisciplinary team meetings, and international collaborations.
WP9 sincerely thanks our colleagues at HSE West for their hospitality and inspiring exchange during the workshop in Galway, which was a great way to kick off the autumn season of workshops.
We look forward to continuing collaboration within the European CCCN network to further expand access to high-quality, patient-centred cancer care across the continent.
The first round of Annual Reports 2025 are now available for download. The Annual Reports show the results of tumour-specific indicators documented in 2023 and were verified through audits conducted in 2024. More Annual Reports of further certified Cancer Centres will be published in the course of September. In case of any questions please do not hesitate to contact us under info@ecc-cert.org.
