The 2022 ENETS/INCA Symposium took place during the 19th Annual ENETS Conference on March 11th in Barcelona, Spain, and online, and showcased the impact of joint efforts of patient advocates and NET experts in improving awareness of NETs and meeting patient needs.
Multidisciplinary approach is crucial to solving the dilemma of early diagnosis and NET management
The patient story of a general practitioner (GP) revealing a long journey to NET diagnosis was at the center of a multidisciplinary team discussion to review what could have been done for a better outcome. The panel discussion, moderated by Prof. Martyn Caplin, involved Dr. Sugandha Dureja, Dr. Stefan Stättner, Prof. Eva Tiensuu Janson, Marie-Louise van Velthuysen, Dr. Enrique Grande, Prof. Dr. Marianne Pavel (ENETS Chair), and Mark McDonnell (INCA President), who emphasized the need of multidisciplinary approach in NET diagnostics and care. The experts pointed out that physicians “need to listen to the patients – if something is not getting better, something is wrong”. The need for NET education in the medical community and thinking outside the box in reviewing symptoms and diagnosing was reconfirmed by all experts. INCA is grateful to David who came all the way to Barcelona to share his patient story at the 2022 ENETS/INCA Symposium.
Global NET educational program for general practitioners – championed by INCA
INCA President Mark McDonnell presented the global educational program for general practitioners (GPs) “Think NENs”. In 2022 INCA will launch a CME-accredited online training course in multiple languages designed to improve the understanding of NENs in the medical community. The program will consist of series of videos involving NEN experts and GPs/family doctors, in addition to supplementary educational materials and tests.
Strengthening patient advocacy – best global practice and a way ahead
An overview of global best practice examples in advocacy was delivered by Simone Leyden, Co-founder and CEO of NeuroEndocrine Cancer Australia, and INCA Board Member. She highlighted the achievement of developing NET Optimal Care Pathway in Australia as part of the National Cancer Plan, the multi-stakeholder-driven Patient Pathway development in the UK, examples of successful advocacy in New Zealand, Norway and others. She also stressed the importance of patient-oriented research as a tool for policy-changing advocacy.
ENETS and INCA fruitful cooperation in education in NETs for the medical community
Dr. Eric Baudin, Member of ENETS Executive Committee, gave a snapshot of ENETS educational strategy targeted at physicians, nurses, radiology/nuclear medicine physicians, and clinical research assistants. A highlight of the productive collaboration between the patient and medical community was the first ENETS – INCA NET Cancer Day Educational Webinar, held on November, 10th, 2021(video).
Detection of NENs: The search for new biomarkers
Dr. Enrique Grande presented in a very understandable way the very process and tools for detection of neuroendocrine neoplasms explaining the key role of biomarkers. He offered a summary of potential novel diagnostic and therapeutic markers in neuroendocrine neoplasms.
Best practice in raising awareness of neuroendocrine neoplasms on a global scale
Teodora Kolarova, INCA Executive Director, showcased the impact of the united efforts of INCA members in raising awareness of NETs on a global scale, culminating on NET Cancer Day, November 10th. The rich plethora of events worldwide and the concerted social media campaign achieved almost 27 million impressions, making NET Cancer Day 2021 the biggest success so far.
2022 ENETS/INCA Symposium, chaired by Prof. Dr. Marianne Pavel and Mark McDonnell, charted out an evolving partnership between patient advocates and the medical community and a constructive roadmap to address the unmet needs in NET diagnostics and care.
Thank you to all the brilliant NET experts who work with INCA on improving the outcomes for patients!
