European projects Horizon Europe
MyPATH
(2022 - 2027)
With higher cure rates and more patients living longer with cancer, access to patient-centered care including supportive, palliative, survivorship and end-of-life care is becoming increasingly important. However, cancer care is still compartmentalized and, to date, there is no available technical support adapted to different cultures, contexts and environments. Several randomized controlled trials have provided evidence that integrating patient-centered care into standard oncology care results in better outcomes for patients and caregivers. As yet, these results have not been translated into clinical routine. The MyPath project will develop patient-centered, technology-enhanced and evidence-based care pathways that will be merged with tumor-centered treatments in supportive, palliative, survivorship and end-of-life care. MyPath integrates patient-reported outcomes from OUS Eir software, which will be further enhanced by contributions from European oncologists, ethicists, psychologists and sociologists. It will be configured on the eHealth platform of partner SME Imatis. Its effectiveness and sustainability will be assessed in a scientific implementation study in 9 clinical centers across Europe. The objectives of the project are 1) to significantly improve quality and access to treatment and care, 2) to reduce variations in clinical practice, and 3) to optimize resources in family, community and hospital care settings. Achieving the milestones will reduce the physical, emotional and ultimately economic burden associated with cancer.
Coordinator: Oslo Universitetssykehus HF (Norway)
More information:
https://mypath-cancercare.eu/
https://accelopment.com/projects/mypath/
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101057514
Inspire
(2022 - 2026)
INSPIRE will strengthen the use of rehabilitation in cancer care as a means of improving functional capacity and enhancing quality of life, providing a parallel service to oncological cancer care. Overall, the aim of INSPIRE is to test both the clinical and cost-effectiveness of this short-term rehabilitation intervention designed for people with incurable cancer and rehabilitation needs. The INSPIRE project partners are located in the UK, France, Belgium, Italy, Denmark and Norway.
Coordinator: Hospices Civils de Lyon (France)
Participants: European Association for Palliative Care (Belgium), Fondazione IRCCS Istituti Nazionale Dei Tumori (Italy), Azienda unita sanitaria locale di reggio emilia (Italy), Syddansk Universitet (Denmark), Universitetet I Bergen (Norway), European Cancer Patient Coalition (Belgium), Region Syddanmark (Denmark), Lyon Ingénierie Projets (France), Fonden for Almen Praksis S/I (Denmark).
More information:
See the INSPIRE project sheet in the project directory
https://palliativeprojects.eu/inspire/
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101057043
EU Navigate
(2022 - 2027)
Most people with cancer are elderly. The disease affects millions of Europeans every year. Providing high-quality, equitable and cost-effective care across the continuum of supportive, palliative, end-of-life and survivorship care for patients and their often overburdened family carers is highly relevant from an economic, health and preventive point of view. The EU NAVIGATE project is an interdisciplinary, transnational and cross-sectoral project to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a navigation intervention (NavCare-EU) for elderly cancer patients and their family carers in different healthcare systems across Europe. NavCare-EU is a person- and family-centered, non-pharmacological intervention in which navigators collaborate with patients and families to improve quality of life and well-being, promote empowerment and facilitate rapid and equitable access to health and social services, care services and resources as needed, along the continuum of supportive and palliative care. NavCare-EU is based on an existing intervention: Nav-Care, successfully tested in Canada. Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness will be evaluated in an international randomized controlled trial involving 532 cancer patients aged 70 and over and their family caregivers. Mixed analyses and in-depth process and implementation evaluations are also included. EU NAVIGATE will advance the state of the art by providing innovative solutions to the complex supportive and palliative care needs of elderly cancer patients and their families. These solutions will be applicable in a variety of healthcare systems and contexts. Users and stakeholders will be involved throughout the project.
Coordinator: Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium)
Participants: Trinity college Dublin (Ireland), Uniwersytet Jagiellonski (Poland), Stichting Vumc (Netherlands), Universidade de Coimbra (Portugal), Universiteit Gent (Belgium), University of British Columbia (Canada), European cancer organisation (Belgium), European association for palliative care (Belgium), Age platform Europe (Belgium), Lega italiana per la lotta contro i tumori (Italy), Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei tumiri (Italy)
More information:
https://vubtechtransfer.be/en/eu-navigate-0
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101057361
PAINLESS
(2022 - 2027)
More than 50% of cancer patients develop pain before they die: 80% can be treated with drugs, but for 20% of cases the response is poor or treatments cause severe adverse effects. Although non-pharmacological interventions such as neurosurgical procedures have been tested, these alternatives are not a preferred option for treating cancer pain due to their high cost, risks, invasiveness and not always proven efficacy. Painless addresses a central element of pain relief, using an innovative, evidence-based approach. The aim is to adapt and implement a new home-based intervention based on neuromodulation to reduce pain and improve quality of life for cancer patients suffering from chronic pain. Based on the premise that the treatment of chronic pain can benefit from research into the brain's mechanisms of pain, we will first attempt to improve our understanding of the role of central pain modulation. The project will be organized into 3 studies: 1) A longitudinal cohort study (n=450) to explore whether biomarkers of central pain modulation mechanisms can be predictive of the future onset of chronic pain in cancer patients; 2) A cross-sectional study to characterize and categorize cancer patients with vs. without chronic pain (750 patients with the proposed biomarkers and taking into account a number of moderating variables) ; 3) A pilot study (n = 450) to assess the feasibility and efficacy of home administration of low-intensity transcranial electrical stimulation for the palliative care of cancer patients suffering from pain. Painless will develop a customized web portal to share knowledge and improve patient management; carry out techno-economic analyses, analyze implementation possibilities in different European healthcare systems and exploitation of results; and undertake an ambitious dissemination and communication strategy. We will also propose a wide range of measures to ensure compliance with ethical standards.
Coordinator: Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (Spain)
Participants: Servizo galego de Saude (Spain), Fundacion biomedica Galicia Sur (Spain), Fundacion instituto de investigacion sanitaria de santiago de compostela (Spain), Universitaetsmedizin Goettingen - Stiftung oeffentlichen rechts (Germany), Aalborg Universitet (Denmark), Fundatia hospice casa sperantei (Romania), Israel institute of technologie (Israel)), Institutul oncologic (Romania), Instituto portugese de oncologia do porto Francisco Gentil (Portugal), European association for palliative care (Belgium), European cancer patient coalition (Belgium), Neuroconn GMBH (Germany), Betthera SRO (Czech Republic), Software imagination & vision SRL (Romania), QST LaB (France), Mentalab GmbH (Germany), European Association of Cancer Leagues (Belgium).
Other partner: Ente Ospedaliero cantonale (Switzerland)
More information:
https://palliativeprojects.eu/painless/
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101057367
PAL-CYCLES
(2022 - 2027)
Many patients with advanced terminal cancer leave hospital with no continuity of information and no certainty about further treatment and care delivery. Often, communication between healthcare providers in different settings is sub-optimal, resulting in poor continuity and coordination of care, a negative impact on quality of life and an increase in avoidable hospitalizations. The Pal-CYcles program is a transitional palliative care program for patients with advanced cancer, adaptable to local cultures and healthcare systems. The program offers an intervention for a smooth transition from hospital to community care, consisting of five core components: (1) identification of a patient with palliative and supportive care needs in collaboration with the oncologist and hospital palliative care team; (2) compassionate communication with the patient and family; (3) a collaborative multidimensional care plan and follow-up in the home care setting; (4) periodic evaluation of the care plan with patients and their loved ones; (5) identification of the terminal phase (if applicable) on the basis of periodic assessments, with appropriate intensification of care and end-of-life interviews according to local possibilities and habits, including consultation with the patient and families on ethically and legally sensitive issues. This program will be implemented and evaluated in seven European countries through a tiered randomized controlled trial design. The experiences of patients, relatives and healthcare providers, as well as ethical and equity issues, will be addressed using qualitative methods. The Pal-Cycles program will facilitate patient-centered communication and continuity of palliative cancer care within community care, reducing unplanned hospitalizations and improving quality of life for patients with advanced cancer at the end of life.
Coordinator: Stitching radboud universitair medisch centrum (Netherlands)
Participants : Universitatsklinikum Bonn (Germany), Pecsi Tudomanyegyetem - University of Pecs (Hungary), Uniwersytet Zielonogorski (Poland), Fundatia Hospice Casa Sperantei (Romania), European association for palliative care (Belgium), Universidade catolica portugesa (Portugal), Universidad de Navarra (Spain), European cancer patient coalition (Belgium).
Other partner: University of Lancaster (United Kingdom)
More information:
https://palliativeprojects.eu/palcycles/
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101057243
SERENITY
(2022-2027)
Antithrombotic therapy (ATT) has negligible positive effects on the well-being of terminally ill cancer patients. However, ATT is often continued until the patient dies, causing bleeding and increasing the burden of disease as well as the cost of healthcare. The EU-funded SERENITY project aims to develop a web-based, information-driven Shared Decision Support Tool (SDST) to facilitate strategy around the use of ATT in cancer patients at the end of life. The comprehensive approach adopted by the project will combine reviews, flash mob research, European epidemiological studies and qualitative interviews. The results will be used in a Delphi process to reach consensus on the optimal design of the OAPDP, which is intended to be patient-specific and adapted to socio-economic and disease-related factors.
Coordinator: Academisch Ziekenhuis Leiden (Netherlands)
Participants: Centre hospitalier universitaire Saint-Etienne - CHU (France), Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht (Netherlands), Universitätsmedizin der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (Germany), Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (France), Fundació Clínic per a la Recerca Biomèdica (Spain), Hospital Clinic de Barcelona (Spain), Centrum Medyczne Kształcenia Podyplomowego (Poland), Societa' Per L'Assistenza Al Malato Oncologico Terminale Onlus (Italy), Todaytomorow BV (Netherlands), Region Nordjylland (Denmark), Erasmus Medisch Centrum Rotterdam (Netherlands), Association francophone pour les soins oncologiques de support (France), Cardiff University (UK), University of Hull (UK).
More information:
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101057292/fr
RELEVIUM
(2022-2026)
Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate among other cancers and is responsible for 95,000 deaths every year in the European Union. Its treatment is generally palliative, aimed at slowing tumor progression and managing symptoms. RELEVIUM's main hypothesis is that the quality of life (QOL) of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer can be significantly improved by reducing pain and cachexia through personalized nutrition, physical activity and pain management strategies, in addition to chemotherapy treatment. To achieve this, RELEVIUM will equip patients with digital tools that facilitate patient-physician communication and enable them to manage their disease themselves. RELEVIUM will use a multi-sensor connected watch and an innovative remote ultrasound patch, AI algorithms for continuous remote monitoring of pain and sarcopenia, as well as for decision support, and apps for patients and caregivers. Together, these tools will provide a stream of evidence on symptom progression and enable physicians to implement personalized care plans. RELEVIUM brings together an interdisciplinary team of experts, and will also involve patients and their caregivers in an iterative co-creation process. The results of the study will translate into recommendations for integrating remote monitoring and improving quality-of-life outcomes in palliative care for advanced pancreatic cancer.
Coordinator: Universitätsmedizin der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (Germany)
Partners: Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Germany), Ethniko kentro erevnas kai technologikis anaptyxis (Greece), Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung E.V. (Germany), Charokopeio Panepistimio (Greece), Exus software monoprosopi etairia periorismenis evthinis (Greece), AINIGMA Technologies (Belgium), MCS Datalabs (Germany), Futuro Perfecto Innovacion SL (Spain), European Cancer Patient Coalition (Belgium), Institut Curie (France), The Health Corporation - Rambam (Israel), Sihtasutus Põhja-eesti Regionaalhaigla (Estonia), Institut Jules Bordet ASBL (Belgium), DBC Europe (Belgium), Pulsify Medical BV (Belgium), CSI Center for social innovation LTD (Cyprus), Rozenbaum Konsulting (Bulgaria).
More information:
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101057821