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.
Background document (pdf, 0.787 Mb)
DRAFT
DAY 1 – 27 MARCH 2025
INTRODUCTION
Session 1: Opening and objectives of the meeting
| Chairs: Pierre Van Damme (TBC) & Greet Hendrickx |
| 09:00 – 09:40 | Welcome words and Tour de Table 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
| Chairs: Markus Peck-Radosavljević (TBC) and Maria Buti |
| 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 – 14:15 | 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 |
| 14:15 – 14:30 | Treatment of Chronic hepatitis D with Bulevertide Maria Buti, Hospital General Universitario Valle Hebron, Barcelona, Spain |
| 14:30 – 14:40 | Q & A |
| 14:40 – 15:00 | Clinical outcomes in patients with chronic hepatitis C after direct-acting antiviral treatment: a prospective cohort study Stanislas Pol, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France |
| 15:00 – 15:20 | Inequities in primary liver cancer in Europe: The state of play (ONLINE) Loreta Kondili, National Centre for Global Health, Rome, Italy |
| 15:20 – 15:40 | Q & A |
| 15:40 – 16:10 | COFFEE BREAK |
Session 5: Screening as prevention for viral hepatitis induced HCC & Linkage to care
| Chairs: Stéphane Chevaliez & Erika Duffell |
| 16:10 – 16:30 | Hepatocellular Cancer Surveillance in Patients with Advanced Chronic Liver Disease Sven Francque, Antwerp University Hospital, Belgium |
| 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 – 17:00 | Q&A |
Session 6: PANEL DEBATE : Viral hepatitis and cancer registries – what opportunities exist?
| Chairs: Mojca Matičič and Sema Mandal |
| 17:00 – 18:00 | Introduction to cancer registries and panel debate on how viral hepatitis and cancer data may be linked (Introductions + discussion) European Cancer Organisation – 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) |
| 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. 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 | Prioritising viral hepatitis elimination to prevent liver cancer Gaps, Successes and Good Practices Aina Nicolàs, VH-COMSAVAC, ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain |
Session 8: Groups Discussion
| Chairs: Greet Hendrickx & Sharon Hutchinson |
| 11:00 – 12:00 | BREAKOUT GROUPS |
| 12:00 – 12:30 | Reporting breakout groups by group leaders |
| 12:30 – 14:00 | LUNCH BREAK |
Session 9: Conclusion of the meeting
| Chairs: Pierre Van Damme |
| 14:00 – 14:40 | Meeting Summary David FitzSimons (VHPB rapporteur) |
| 14:40 – 15:00 | CONCLUDING REMARKS AND CLOSING OF THE MEETING |