I.3. Scientific session: Measuring what matters for people living with or beyond cancer in Europe: the EUonQoL-Kit
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Improving quality of life for people living with or beyond cancer is a central objective of key EU initiatives against cancer, including Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the EU Cancer Mission. Beyond survival and clinical outcomes, understanding and monitoring physical, psychological, existential, and social wellbeing is essential for person centred, equitable and sustainable cancer care, research, and policies, yet seldom routinely assessed at the population level. The EUonQoL project is aimed to fill this gap by developing and implementing a harmonised, policy relevant set of self-reported questionnaires for monitoring quality of life among cancer patients and survivors across Europe. This workshop brings together five complementary presentations that reflect the full scope of, and results achieved in, the EUonQoL project. The first presentation describes achievements in the development and validation of the EUonQoL Kit, including its conceptual framework, indicator selection and validation results ensuring scientific robustness and cross language equivalence. The second presentation provides a detailed description of the EUonQoL Kit and the new digital Survey Hub, highlighting functionalities, accessibility, and opportunities for a scalable quality of life data collection at population level in Europe. The third presentation focuses on Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) within the EUonQoL project, illustrating how the perspectives and lived experiences of cancer patients, survivors and family caregivers were systematically integrated to strengthen relevance, transparency, and legitimacy. The fourth presentation explores the implementation of the EUonQoL Kit, including potential applications and practical considerations for embedding quality of life monitoring into cancer surveillance and policy evaluation at local, national and EU levels. Finally, the workshop discusses sustainability and EU policy outreach, highlighting alignment with EU cancer strategies, stakeholder engagement, and pathways for long term uptake beyond the project’s lifetime. This workshop is relevant for public health researchers, cancer care professionals, policymakers, and stakeholders seeking to advance quality of life as a core outcome of cancer policy and public health action across Europe. Key messages • Quality of life is increasingly recognised as a central outcome in cancer care, yet Europe lacks a standard, cross-country approach to measure it in routine policy; the EUonQoL Kit addresses this gap. • A coordinated, multi-level implementation and outreach strategy is essential to ensure sustainability of the EUonQoL-Kit and to advance person-centred cancer care, research, and policy across Europe.
Authors: Iris van der Heide, Cinzia Brunelli
Language: English
Topic: Cancer survivorship and care
Subfield: Oncology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,181
OpenAlex ID: W7223661460