#Cancer survival increases but treatment is becoming more complex 

The good news is that 5 years survival of people diagnosed with colorectal cancer is now approaching 65%1. In some countries this is higher than others as variations are known to exist across Europe. A major contributing factor to surviving cancer is early diagnosis and here Formal Population Screening Programmes (FPSP) are important. However only 8 countries have FPSPs that are contributing sufficiently to this goal2. 

For early survival to be effective, citizens should also be more health aware and conscious of the risk factors3 and the signs and symptoms that might indicate a health problem.

Between European countries considerable differences exist in survival, and these differences are projected to increase in the years to 2035.

Within countries there are also differences to be addressed by Health Ministries and here the work of the European CanCer Organisation (ECCO) refers. The recently published Essential Requirements for Quality Cancer Care for Colorectal Cancer and Sarcoma set out the Essential Requirements from the different disciplines along the patient pathway.

During the launch meeting for European Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Professor Eric Van Cutsem, Medical Director of EuropaColon spoke of these variations and highlighted the value of FPSPs to support early diagnosis. He referred to the need for quality indicators to measure health care delivery within and between countries in Europe as a means to achieving better outcomes for patients. Finally, he discussed developments in treatment with new medicines available and advances in science that are slowly unravelling the taxonomy of cancer that will play an important role in the future treatment of patients.

The role of the clinician is becoming more complex as they incorporate this new knowledge along with the cost implications of treatment and care. To manage these challenges requires a multi-modality approach and the full involvement of a well managed Multi-Disciplinary Team in expert centres to ensure the best outcomes for cancer patients.

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