We are delighted to announce the formation of a Europe-wide Virtual Tumour Advisory Board. This has been a key aspiration of our FA Europe Network for some time to provide a forum for clinicians anywhere in Europe to be able to seek advice on the treatment of head and neck cancer in people with Fanconi Anaemia.
Cancer of the head and neck is common in FA adults and this initiative is part of our role in bringing research and knowledge on the treatment of FA patients to clinicians less experienced with the condition, thus improving care for our FA community.
We are incredibly encouraged by the fact that 38 clinicians from 10 European countries have volunteered to join the Board, which consists of both FA experts, and clinicians wishing to learn more about the specialised treatment of FA patients with head and neck cancers.
This means that patients will benefit from a wealth of FA expertise across Europe and that this knowledge will be shared with a number of less experienced clinicians across the 10 countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom). This is directly in line with FA Europe Network’s vision of “Equal access to optimised care for people across Europe affected by Fanconi Anaemia”.
The Board is moderated by Dr Eunike Velleuer-Carlberg in Dusseldorf, Germany, and meets online on the last Tuesday of each month. Although cases can only be submitted by treating physicians for discussion at these meetings, patients and their families can make their physicians/clinicians aware of this new facility.
The feedback from the clinicians who submitted the first two patient cases was extremely positive, and all participants found the discussions extremely worthwhile. Where possible, clinicians are asked to send details of cases for discussion in advance of the meetings so the board members so can decide whether they should attend or not. With our pool of 38 clinicians signed up to the board, we are confident that there will be sufficient members present at each meeting to support these discussions that could make all the difference for FA patients with head or neck cancers.
You can read more about the European FA VTAB, how to submit cases and how to join the Board at www.faeurope.org/FAVTAB