Meetings

Viral hepatitis in Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan – Prevention and control of viral hepatitis as cancer prevention opportunities (27-28 March 2025, Antwerp, Belgium)

VHPB Technical meeting: Viral hepatitis in Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan – Prevention and control of viral hepatitis as cancer prevention opportunities

LIST OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR THIS ACTIVITY

Discuss viral hepatitis in the EU Beating Cancer Plan and the latest EU Council recommendations, all in relation with WHO’s viral hepatitis elimination goals for 2030
Discuss how viral hepatitis focused health initiatives can reduce liver cancer and thereby identify opportunities to integrate viral hepatitis management as cancer prevention strategy at the level of screening, vaccination, prevention and treatment
Identify ways to improve health literacy and vaccine confidence (communication)
Discuss data collection and sharing strategies to monitor and report progress on hepatitis-related cancer outcomes
Discuss resource needs and opportunities for EU and national funding and collaborations to support hepatitis-related cancer prevention initiatives

Mdeon visa 25/V2/15542/010000.

DRAFT

DAY 1 – 27 MARCH 2025

INTRODUCTION

Session 1: Opening and objectives of the meeting

Chairs: Pierre Van Damme & Mojca Matičič

09:00 – 09:40

Welcome and meeting kick-off

Opening presentation, incl. introduction VHPB | meeting objectives
Introduction of the participants

Session 2: Viral hepatitis in Europe’s Beating cancer plan and the EU council recommendations

09:40 – 10:00	A Historical Overview on the Role of Hepatitis B and C Viruses as Aetiological Factors for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Massimo Colombo, Past Chair Department of Medicine and Gastroenterology University Policlinic Hospital, Milan, and EASL International Liver Foundation, Geneva
10:00 – 10:20	Epidemiological Insights into viral-induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma within the Framework of WHO’s Global Hepatitis Elimination Strategy Maud Lemoine, St Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College London
10:20 – 10:50	The European Code Against Cancer (ECAC): The need for updating EU Council Recommendations for public and policy makers to prevent HCC Mojca Matičič , University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia Francesco Negro, University of Geneva, Switzerland
10:50 – 11:00	Q & A
11:00 – 11:30	COFFEE BREAK

Session 3: Viral hepatitis vaccination reduces the risk for liver cancer

*Chairs: Silvia Bino and Sandra Dudareva*
11:30 – 11:50	Keynote lecture: Vaccination against hepatitis B as prevention for hepatocellular carcinoma Heiner Wedemeyer, Hannover Medical School, Germany
11:50 – 12:10	The First 30 Years of the Universal Hepatitis-B Vaccination-Program in Italy: A Health Strategy with a Relevant and Favorable Economic-Profile Paolo Bonanni, University of Florence, Italy
12:10 – 12:25	Monitoring progress towards elimination of hepatitis B and C in the EU/EEA, focus on HBV vaccination Erika Duffell, ECDC

12:25 – 12:45	Prevention of viral hepatitis induced HCC through HBV vaccination in vulnerable populations: – Hepatitis B infection and immunity in migrant populations Philippa C Matthews, University College London, UK – Cancer-preventing vaccination programs in prison: promoting health equity in Europe Nicola Cocco, Saints Paul and Charls Local Health Authority (Milan, Italy) / RISE-Vac
12:45 – 13:00	Q & A
13:00 – 14:00	LUNCH BREAK

Session 4: Treatment of viral hepatitis as Cancer prevention strategy

Chairs: Rui Tato Marinho and Thomas Vanwolleghem

14:00 – 14:20	Clinical outcomes in patients with chronic hepatitis C after direct-acting antiviral treatment: a prospective cohort study Stanislas Pol, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
14:20 – 14:40	The risk of hepatocellular carcinoma decreases after the first 5 years of entecavir or tenofovir in Caucasians with chronic hepatitis B populations Rafael Esteban, Vall d’Hebron Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
14:40 – 15:00	Inequities in primary liver cancer in Europe: The state of play (ONLINE) Loreta Kondili, National Centre for Global Health, Rome, Italy
15:00 – 15:20	Treatment of HDV- related cirrhosis (Title TBC) Maria Buti, Hospital General Universitario Valle Hebron, Barcelona, Spain
15:20 – 15:40	Q & A AND OPEN FLOOR DISCUSSION ON: – treatment as cancer prevention in viral hepatitis – inequity in treatment uptake and cancer diagnosis in Europe

15:40 – 16:10

COFFEE BREAK

Session 5: Screening as prevention for viral hepatitis induced HCC & Linkage to care

Chairs: Sema Mandal and Erika Duffell

16:10 – 16:30	EASL position paper on clinical follow-up after HCV cure – Is it time to refine HCC surveillance? Pierre Nahon, Université de Paris, France
16:30 – 16:50	Hepatocellular Cancer Surveillance in Patients with Advanced Chronic Liver Disease Jonel Trebicka, University of Münster, Germany
16:50 – 17:00	Q&A

Session 6: PANEL DEBATE : Viral hepatitis and cancer registries – what opportunities exist?

Chairs: Mojca Matičič and Sharon Hutchinson

17:00 – 18:00

Introduction to cancer registries and panel debate on how viral hepatitis and cancer data may be linked
(Introductions + discussion)

ECO – Silvia Romeo
European Cancer Information System (ECIS) – Giorgia Randi
European Network of Cancer Registries (ENCR) / Netherlands Cancer Registry – Otto Visser
CDA – Ivane Gamkrelidze (Online)
IARC/ WHO – Harriet Rumgay
WHO EUR – Stela Bivol (Online) (TBC)

18:00

CLOSING OF DAY 1

DAY 2 – 28 MARCH 2025

Session 7: Barriers and opportunities for preventing viral hepatitis induced HCC, including health inequity, good practices and the way forward

*Chairs:* *Angela Dominguez and Paolo Bonanni*
09:00 – 09:20	Good practice: HCC elimination through viral hepatitis management in the country of Georgia. (Title TBC) Maia Tsereteli and/or Anna Khoperia, National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, Georgia
09:20 – 09:40	The patient’s perspective: Is awareness and prevention for liver cancer among patients, their families, risk groups, adequate? Milan Mishkovikj, ELPA
09:40 – 09:50	Statement – Advocacy for legal actions regarding Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan Lobbying, transparency and trust: power imbalances and the failure to implement Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan (TBC)

09:50 – 10:30	Open floor discussion – What can we achieve together on cancer prevention? Actions needed at the EU level. Silvia Romeo – ECO Mojca Matičič – University Medical Centre Ljubljana (TBC) Sandra Dudareva – Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany (TBC)
10:30 – 11:00	COFFEE BREAK