Patient advocacy allows ESMO to support and promote equal access to optimal cancer treatment and care
Patient advocates play a crucial role in supporting and informing cancer patients and caregivers, and by providing valuable input into healthcare decision-making processes and therefore educating patient advocates is vital to help support them in this role.
Since the ESMO Congress 2014, the ESMO Patient Advocacy Track has been fully integrated into the ESMO annual Congress programme. The ESMO annual Congress Patient Advocacy Track sessions are designed by the ESMO Patient Advocates Working Group (PAWG) and represent an opportunity for all Congress delegates to learn, share and explore areas of collaboration while discussing topical issues for patients and survivors that directly impact cancer care and medical research.
Connect to the community by joining the ESMO Patient Advocates Facebook Group.
ESMO Congress 2024 Patient Advocacy Track
14-15 September 2024
Learn, share and explore areas of collaboration while discussing issues relevant to patients and survivors
- 4 sessions of 90 minutes each
ESMO Congress 2024 Patient Advocacy Track
ESMO Congress 2023 Patient Advocacy Track
20-24 October 2023
The 2023 Patient Advocacy Track offered high-level educational sessions along with many opportunities to exchange best practices and knowledge:
- 7 sessions of 90 minutes each
- 34 faculty members
ESMO 2023 Patient Advocacy Track Programme
ESMO Congress 2022 Patient Advocacy Track
9-13 September 2022
The 2022 Patient Advocacy Track offered high-level educational sessions along with many opportunities to exchange best practices and knowledge:
- 6 sessions of 90 minutes each
- 31 faculty members
- The Hans Keulen Inspirational Session
ESMO 2022 Patient Advocacy Track Programme
ESMO 2021 Patient Advocacy Track
17-20 September 2021
The 2021 Patient Advocates Track offered great educational sessions along with many opportunities to exchange best practices and knowledge:
- 4 sessions of 60 minutes each
ESMO 2020 Patient Advocacy Track
16-18 October 2020, Virtual
The 2020 Patient Advocates Track offered great educational sessions along with many opportunities to exchange best practices and knowledge:
- 4 sessions and 19 faculty members
- Approximately 535 attendees
- Average of 10 countries represented per session, including Brazil, China, Peru, and USA
ESMO 2019 Patient Advocacy Track
27 September - 1 October 2019, Barcelona, Spain
The 2019 Patient Advocates Track offered great educational sessions along with many opportunities to exchange best practices and network:
- 7 sessions and 33 faculty members
- Approximately 350 attendees (with a few sessions attended by 800 delegates)
- More than 150 travel grants awarded
- 40 different countries represented, including Mexico, India, Canada and USA
- 7 industry supporters via educational grants
ESMO 2018 Patient Advocacy Track
19-23 October 2018, Munich, Germany
The ESMO 2018 Patient Advocacy Track was extremely successful:
- 8 sessions and 33 faculty members
- Approximately 260 attendees (with a few sessions using in overflow rooms)
- More than 160 travel grants distributed
- 38 different countries represented, including Canada, China, India, USA
- 8 industry supporters via educational grants
ESMO 2017 Patient Advocacy Track
8-12 September 2017, Madrid, Spain
ESMO 2017 Patient Advocacy Track registered the largest participation ever!
- 8 sessions and 35 faculty members
- Approximately 250 attendees with peaks of over 1000 attendees for IO toxicities and 600 for PA reported outcomes
- 180 travel grants distributed
- 35 different countries represented, including USA, Brazil, India, Australia and Japan
- 7 industry supporters via educational grants
ESMO 2016 Patient Advocacy Track
7-11 October 2016, Copenhagen, Denmark
The ESMO 2016 Patient Advocacy Track had a new format, with advocacy-specific sessions taking place on the Friday (in parallel to industry-sponsored satellite symposia) and during lunch and early evening for the remainder of the congress.
This allowed patient advocates to attend sessions of interest to the advocacy community from other tracks such as Public Health and Health Economics, Supportive Care and Immunotherapy.
ESMO 2014 Patient Advocacy Track
27-28 September 2014, Madrid, Spain
For the first time at the ESMO 2014 Congress an entire track was dedicated to cancer patient advocates, representative of cancer leagues, healthcare professionals and industry representatives.
The event provided European patient organisations and bodies involved in patient care with an excellent networking opportunity and the possibility to discuss vital issues and challenges faced by patients with cancer.
The ESMO 2014 Patient Advocacy Track focused on cancer research, treatment and living, capacity building and patient advocacy. The track closed with a tribute to Selma Schimmel Founder of Vital Options® International, who passed away in May 2014 from a complication of ovarian cancer.
9th ESMO Patient Seminar
Held in Vienna, Austria, on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 September 2012
8th ESMO Patient Seminar
Held in Milan, Italy, on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 October 2010