Following discussions with the WHO, EU Commission and the new ASCO–ECO Ukraine Steering Committee, the ECO Board and ASCO have created a new Special Network on the Impact of the War in Ukraine on Cancer.  The first meeting of this Special Network, co-chaired by the ECO President Andreas Charalambous, ASCO President-Elect Eric Winer and Richard Sullivan, who will be the Special Network Liaison with the WHO Emergency Committee, was held on Thursday 10 March 2022.

We have created some first version resources on our website to launch this new Special Network, which is open to you and your organisations to join:

• www.europeancancer.org/help which includes links to resources in different relevant languages. New links and information can be included by emailing them to ukraine@europeancancer.org. The format and layout of this page will be enhanced by the end of next week, aimed (in one place) to signpost to the amazing work being done by many oncology medical and patient organisations across Europe, providing support to Ukrainian cancer patients with different tumour types and treatments.  We are in discussions with Ukrainian oncologists about finding a URL for this page which can have a memorable address for Ukrainians who do not speak English.
   
• If your organisation would like to join the Special Network, please send the information to ukraine@europeancancer.org including the organisation logo, if we don’t already have it displayed on this page.
   
• ASCO/ECO Briefing: Cancer Care During the War in Ukraine on Friday 18 March 2022 at 14:00-15:00 CET/9:00–10:00 ET
   
• Please find here the ASCO’s Information for Patients with Cancer & Physicians in Ukraine & the Neighboring Countries.
   
• Please find here ECO’s Statement on the War in Ukraine and other updates that we posted before the creation of this Special Network on 9 March 2022.

The initial discussions with the ASCO-ECO Steering Committee suggest the Network will want to:

• Create a community for sharing of intelligence, experience and contacts
• Provide an information hub of resources and links in national languages, signposting and amplifying work being done for Ukrainian patients
• Gather intelligence to inform our advocacy work on the issue with the WHO and EU
• Co-ordinate, communicate and connect organisations and people within the Network
• Evolve over time, identifying and addressing needs with other organisations

The Special Network will be addressing a large number of challenges currently being faced by Ukrainian cancer patients and those treating and supporting them, including those that have been shared with ASCO and ECO already:

• Lack of data/medical records
• Language barriers
• Access to information about treatment and support options in the patient’s new country in relevant languages
• Capacity issues within neighbouring countries
• Lack of resources for cancer organisations within neighbouring countries
• Need for connectivity to other European countries – for their capacity to support
• Need for co-ordination to address medicine shortages
• GDPR restrictions on patient information

In our discussions with the WHO and the EU Commission, ASCO and ECO have been very mindful that there is a risk of duplication of efforts during this response and will be co-ordinating closely with their initiatives. 

If you are aware of other work that would be helpful including in national languages that we can signpost to, or would like further information about this Special Network, please let us know: ukraine@europeancancer.org