Experts’ Consensus Meeting on OECI Accreditation and Designation Standards
The OECI A&D Standards Revision Expert Meeting brought together 110 participants from 23 countries in Brussels to refine and enhance the OECI Quality Standards in cancer care, research, and education. This meeting was a pan-European effort, bringing together leading experts from OECI cancer centres, major oncology societies, European institutions, and patient representatives.
The event began with an 🔗 Introduction from the OECI Vice-President (Iwona Lugowska, OECI Vice-President), followed by a focused review of the standards, assessing what is missing and what is unnecessary to ensure they remain relevant, comprehensive, and patient-centred.
Key chapters examined included:
- Governance
- Quality Systems
- Patient Empowerment
- Multidisciplinarity
- Education and Training
- Selected Sections of Treatment
A major focus of the meeting was on governance, strategy, and the integration of research and care, alongside the review of standards for basic, translational, and clinical research. A session chaired by Prof. Mef Nilbert also incorporated feedback from the OECI Member Scientific Directors’ Group. To explore specific challenges in greater depth, breakout sessions were held on:
- Prevention and Early Detection
- Molecular Diagnostics and Molecular Tumour Boards
- Patient Empowerment
- Nursing, Supportive, and Palliative Care
- AI and Big Data
Beyond the revision of standards, discussions also covered the Designation Criteria for Comprehensive Cancer Centres, reinforcing the importance of a structured and transparent framework.
Key Expert Contributions
Throughout the meeting, leading oncology organisations shared their perspectives on quality standards:
- 🔗 Do advances in systemic therapies require particular standards? – Presentation by Andrés Cervantes - European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)
- 🔗 Do advances in radiotherapy require particular standards? – Presentation by Matthias Guckenberger - European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO)
- 🔗 Do advances in surgical oncology require particular standards? – Presentation by Geerard Beets - European Society of Surgical Oncology (ESSO)
- 🔗 A perspective on the organisation of U.S. cancer centers – Presentation by Crystal S. Denlinger - The US National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
The revised standards will be published in A&D Manual V4.0. This meeting reinforced OECI’s commitment to setting the gold standard for cancer centre accreditation, ensuring that patient needs, research excellence, and multidisciplinary collaboration remain at the heart of our mission.
