News

06/2026 Partnership between German and Georgian colleagues on Breast Cancer Center Certification Program

In June 2026, representatives of the German Cancer Society (DKG), together with expert Dr. Heike Rosendahl, visited two breast cancer centres in Tbilisi, Georgia – The Institute of Clinical Oncology (ICO) and Consilium Medulla. The visits took place within the framework of the GIZ Klinikpartnerschaften Programme and included preliminary assessment within the International Cancer Centre (ICC) Certification Programme.

The visit represented an important step in the certification journey for both centres. The meetings provided good opportunity to review the existing organisational structures, clinical pathways, multidisciplinary collaboration, and the current Georgian health care context, while assessing alignment with the ICC standards.

The teams at ICO and Consilium Medulla demonstrated a strong commitment to patient-centred breast cancer care and continuous quality improvement. The open and constructive discussions enabled a valuable exchange of experiences and helped identify areas that can be further strengthened.

We sincerely thank our Georgian colleagues for their warm hospitality, professionalism, and active engagement. The dedication shown by both centres reflects a clear ambition to further advance high-quality breast cancer care in Georgia.

We look forward to continuing this collaboration and supporting both centres on their path towards successful ICC certification.

05/2026 First Pre-Audit of a CCCN Pilot within EUnetCCC

On 29 May 2026, the German Cancer Society (DKG) had the pleasure of visiting IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione G. Pascale (INT Pascale) in Naples, Italy, for the first Pre-Audit of a Comprehensive Cancer Care Network (CCCN) within WP9.

Together with our auditor, Prof. Dr. Alexandre Pelzer (@krh), who participated as peer reviewer, we had the opportunity to review the progress made by INT Pascale on its journey towards setting up a Prostate Cancer CCCN.

The Pre-Audit was an important step in this journey. It served as a trial run for the actual CCCN audit, providing insight into the audit structure and helping to identify areas that require further attention and development.

During the Pre-Audit, INT Pascale provided detailed information, including regional specificities, to demonstrate how the required standards for CCCN are being fulfilled, following a predefined agenda. The team also presented evidences requested by the auditor to demonstrate compliance with the required standards.

The visit was highly positive and reflected the strong engagement of the INT Pascale team, confirming that INT Pascale is well prepared for the upcoming audit next year. We are currently preparing a Pre-Audit Report with detailed feedback, highlighting a few areas that will require additional attention in preparation for next year’s audit.

Together with the INT Pascale team, we will continue working on these identified areas, such as further developing data documentation, to ensure that everything is in place for a successful CCCN audit next year.

01/2026 Opening Workshop at the Lower Silesian Centre for Oncology, Pulmonology and Haematology, Wroclaw Poland

The Lower Silesian Centre for Oncology, Pulmonology and Haematology (LSOPHC) in Wrocław is the leading and largest medical centre in Lower Silesia, providing comprehensive cancer care as well as access to modern diagnostic and therapeutic approaches across oncology, pulmonology, and haematology.

On 27 January 2026, LSOPHC hosted a Kick-Off Workshop bringing together its expert teams and the EUnetCCC WP9 team of the German Cancer Society (DKG). We are very happy to continue the long-standing collaboration with LSOPHC, initiated already in JA iPAAC and JA CraNE, to now jointly further develop a Comprehensive Cancer Care Network (CCCN) for Prostate Cancer, alongside the re-certification process for the CCCN for Colorectal Cancer.

The workshop offered in-depth insight into LSOPHC’s organisational structures and clinical pathways, with dedicated input from both the prostate and colorectal cancer teams. Open and constructive discussions focused on current challenges, future opportunities, and clearly defined next steps tailored to the needs of each network.

We would like to warmly thank LSOPHC for the hospitality and the valuable exchange. This workshop represents an important milestone in our shared commitment to strengthening networks and expanding access to high-quality, comprehensive cancer care across Europe.

01/2026 New audit documents

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

11/2025 Opening Workshop at the Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Warsaw Poland

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.

11/2025 Opening Workshop at Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland

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.

10/2025 Study Visit and Opening Workshop – Ukraine National Cancer Institute

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 NCIDr. Yurii KondratskyiMykyta 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 ChemnitzClinic 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.

10/2025 Strengthening collaboration within the Joint Action EUnetCCC

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.

10/2025 Opening Workshop at Institut National du Cancer, Luxembourg

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.

10/2025 Exchange. Collaborate. Advance. – 1st Knowledge Exchange Workshop & 2nd WP9 Meeting with CCCNs in Warsaw

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:

  • Set of Standards – hands-on guidance for applying the self-assessment tool, presentation of the “Handbook for Setting up and Certifying CCCNs” including all available templates available for download, and input for certification preparations from the auditor’s perspective.
  • Patient Pathways – how to develop and tailor tumour-specific patient pathways including an example how patient pathways can be digitalized and personalized from OKL Austria.
  • Data Documentation – presentation of data specifications for the documentation of CCCN KPIs as well as insights from LSOC Poland that has developed its own tumour documentation system.

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.