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

09:00 – 09:40 – Welcome & Meeting Kick-off

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

9:40-10:00 –  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

 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

Sara Boccalini/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 (10 min each)

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

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.

         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

15:00-15-50 – Q & A and open floor discussion on

• Treatment as cancer prevention in viral hepatitis
• Inequity in treatment uptake and cancer diagnosis in Europe

15:50-16:30 – COFFEE BREAK

16:30-16:50 – EASL position paper on clinical follow-up after HCV cure – Is it time to refine HCC surveillance?

Pierre Nahon – Université de Paris, France

16:50-17:10 – Hepatocellular Cancer Surveillance in Patients with Advanced Chronic Liver Disease

Jonel Trebicka – University of Münster, Germany

17:10-17:20 – Q & A 

17:20-18:20 – Introduction to cancer registries and panel debate on how viral hepatitis and cancer data may be linked (Introductions + discussion)

• ECDC – (TBC)
• European Commission – (TBC)
• ECO – Dégi László Csaba / Richard Price (TBC)
• European Cancer Information System (ECIS) – Giorgia Randi
• European Network of Cancer Registries (ENCR) / Netherlands Cancer Registry – Otto Visser
• CDA – Ivane Gamkrelidze (Online)
• IARC/ WHO – Catherine de Martel (TBC)
• WHO EUR – Marilys Corbex (TBC)

18:20 – Closing of DAY 1

09:00-09:20 – Good practice: Predictors of treatment outcomes for Hepatitis C infection in a nationwide elimination program in Iceland: The treatment as prevention for Hepatitis C (TraP HepC) study

Sigurdur Olafsson (TBC) – University of Iceland, Iceland

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

09:40-10:30 – Open floor discussion – What can we achieve together on cancer prevention? Actions needed at the EU level.

• Antonio Parenti / Domenico Fiorenza Glanzmann, DG Sante (TBC)
• European Cancer Organisation (TBC)

10:30-11:00 – COFFEE BREAK

11:00-12:00 – BREAK OUT GROUPS

12:00-12:30 – Reporting break out groups by group leaders

12:30-14:00 – LUNCH BREAK

14:00-14:40 – Meeting summary

David FitzSimons (VHPB rapporteur)

14:40-15:00 – Concluding remarks & closing of the meeting