Advancing Childhood Cancer Care: Insights from the CCI Europe Conference 2025

From May 14–17, Budapest became the heart of European childhood cancer advocacy and care. The 15th CCI Europe Conference, held alongside the 6th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Oncology (SIOP Europe), brought together 131 participants, including a record number of patient advocates, survivors, and parents.

Plenary Sessions Highlights

The four plenary sessions tackled cutting-edge and patient-centered topics, including nuclear medicine imaging, informed consent in young children, precision-based exercise programs, and improving enrolment in early clinical trials. CCI Europe representatives actively contributed to discussions on informed consent, exercise programs, and early clinical trial access, bringing patient and survivor perspectives directly to the table.

Abstracts, Posters, and Joint Sessions

Ten abstracts were selected from 22 submissions by CCI Europe members, covering topics such as peer support programmes, national advocacy efforts, and holistic care approaches. Abstracts were presented alongside posters, allowing participants to explore ongoing projects and research initiatives across Europe.

A joint session with the SIOP Europe Nursing Group highlighted communication strategies and educational materials for children, young people, and families, reflecting the conference’s focus on collaboration and knowledge-sharing.

Interactive Workshops

The participants had the opportunity to attend three workshops which offered interactive, solution-focused sessions:

  • Grieving and Loss: Explored ongoing grief experiences across functional, relational, developmental, and future-oriented dimensions, highlighting European best practices and opportunities for support.
  • Transition of Care: Examined challenges in moving from paediatric to adult survivorship care, focusing on identity, care continuity, and survivor empowerment.
  • One Health, Brain Health, and Survivorship: As part of the EU4Health Integration and Impact Initiative, participants identified actionable priorities to improve quality of life for survivors, including survivor-specific healthy living guidelines, brain health monitoring, and culturally sensitive survivor support groups.

Connecting Beyond the Conference Room

Social events made networking fun and meaningful. The CCI Europe Networking Dinner held many surprises and brought together 99 participants. Moreover, during coffee breaks, attendees had the opportunity to learn about ongoing initiatives, including ESCALIER (European Standards of Care), PanCareSurPass, EU-CAYAS-NET, and the ICCD 2025 Campaign, through the “Projects on the Spotlight” sessions.

Research and Innovation, Policy, and Survivorship Initiatives

The conference also included invitation-only sessions to strengthen policy advocacy, survivor engagement, and patient involvement in research. Highlights included:

  • The Survivors Meeting: Focused on long-term follow-up, psychosocial care, and mapping services across Europe.
  • The Policy Advocates & SIOPE Ambassadors Meeting: Aimed to strengthen European-level advocacy for childhood cancer, addressing EU pharmaceutical legislation and the upcoming EU Multiannual Financial Framework (2028 – 2034).
  • The R&I Workshop on Patient and Public Involvement: Explored strategies for meaningful inclusion of patient advocates in medical research, setting the stage for practical guidelines in 2026.

The 2025 conference showed that when survivors, families, advocates, and professionals come together, real progress happens. The next CCI Europe Conference in 2026 promises to continue this momentum, focusing on patient involvement, research, and sharing best practices across Europe.