News

  In 2023, the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO), the EURACAN, a European Reference Network for all rare adult solid cancers and the Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup (GCIG) have agreed to start a new joint project with the goal of developing guidelines on the complete management of patients with uterine sarcomas, covering low-grade endometrial stromal…

  WECAN – The Workgroup of European Cancer Patient Advocacy Networks was established in 2015 when 15 umbrella cancer patient advocacy organizations came together to initiate the informal network. WECAN was born out of the true need for the cancer patient community to share experiences and work together. SPAGN is one of the current over 20…

Mental health in patients with rare soft-tissue tumors   What is this online survey about? The purpose of this survey is to learn about the experiences and challenges of individuals with soft-tissue tumors. In doing so, we focus on a variety of mental health-related aspects which will help to gain a better understanding of patients…

Open clinical studies in soft tissue sarcomas, GIST and bone sarcomas Speakers: Nathalie Gaspar, France & Robin Jones, UK For rare cancers as sarcomas, clinical trials are an important part of the treatment concept, as standard therapies are often limited. They might be able provide an improved care for current patients, but they will certainly help…

  It is our great pleasure to announce that patient advocacy will once again have a well-earned place at the Connective Tissue Oncology Society (CTOS) Annual Meeting. We will be hosting the Patient Advocacy Lounge at CTOS 2023 in Dublin: Patient Advocacy Lounge Liffey Hall 2, Convention Centre Dublin Open from Thursday, November 2 –…

Incorporating the patient voice in sarcoma research: How can we assess quality of life of sarcoma patients? Soft tissue and bone sarcoma patients form a diverse and rare patient group. Quality of life questionnaires used in research and clinical practice are not always complete and relevant for the unique experiences of this patient group. Take…

  The last few months have been filled with activities, from the SPAGN Annual Conference and New Horizons GIST to our surveys and now Sarcoma Awareness Month in July. And there’s more to come. Read on here in our latest newsletter (July 2023) to learn what the SPAGN team has been up to . Want to…

  Patient advocacy ensures that people are heard, take action and ultimately improve situations, achieve changes or help to fulfil unmet medical needs. We want to celebrate and honour outstanding practices, projects, initiatives or campaigns and the creators working behind these activities with the SPAGN Advcoacy in Action Award. We are thrilled with all the…

  The sarcoma community is active – there’s lots for you to check out, to join and make your voice heard as well. Read all updates in in the sarcoma world and SPAGN in our latest newsletter (April 2023) here. Learn more about our survey about “Priorities in Sarcoma Resarch”, our new team member Cory,…

The need for patient involvement in scientific research is curcial as there is a mismatch between what patients, clinicians, and researchers would want to see researched, and what is actually being researched. It is our aim to bridge this mismatch and open up the discussion between patients and clinicians to agree on priorities for future research. Through our Patient-Powered…