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)

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

INTRODUCTION

Chairs: Pierre Van Damme & Mojca Matičič
09:00 – 09:40Welcome and meeting kick-off

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

09:40 – 10:00A 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 – 10:20Epidemiological 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 – 10:50The 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 – 11:30COFFEE BREAK
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 – 12:10The 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 – 12:25Monitoring 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 – 13:00Q & A
13:00 – 14:00LUNCH BREAK
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 – 14:40The 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  – 15:00Inequities in primary liver cancer in Europe: The state of play   (ONLINE)

Loreta Kondili, National Centre for Global Health, Rome, Italy
15:00  – 15:20Treatment of HDV- related cirrhosis (Title TBC) 

Maria Buti, Hospital General Universitario Valle Hebron, Barcelona, Spain 
15:20 – 15:40Q & A AND OPEN FLOOR DISCUSSION ON:

– treatment as cancer prevention in viral hepatitis
– inequity in treatment uptake and cancer diagnosis in Europe         
15:40 – 16:10COFFEE BREAK
Chairs: Sema Mandal and Erika Duffell 
16:10 – 16:30EASL position paper on clinical follow-up after HCV cure – Is it time to refine HCC surveillance?

Pierre Nahon, Université de Paris, France
16:30 – 16:50Hepatocellular Cancer Surveillance in Patients with Advanced Chronic Liver Disease

Jonel Trebicka, University of Münster, Germany
16:50 – 17:00Q&A

Chairs: Mojca Matičič and Sharon Hutchinson 
17:00 – 18:00Introduction 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) 
18:00CLOSING OF DAY 1
Chairs: Angela Dominguez and Paolo Bonanni 
09:00 – 09:20Good 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 – 09:40The patient’s perspective: Is awareness and prevention for liver cancer among patients, their families, risk groups, adequate?

Milan Mishkovikj, ELPA
09:40 – 09:50Statement – 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 – 11:00COFFEE BREAK

Chairs: Massimo Columbo (TBC)  
11:00 – 12:00BREAKOUT GROUPS
12:00 – 12:30Reporting breakout groups by group leaders
12:30 – 14:00LUNCH BREAK
Chairs: Thomas Vanwolleghem & Pierre Van Damme
14:00 – 14:40Meeting Summary

David FitzSimons (VHPB rapporteur)
14:40 – 15:00CONCLUDING REMARKS AND CLOSING OF THE MEETING
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