Precision-BTC Network shines a light on BTC in new Lancet Regional Health Europe Series

Co-Chaired by Lorenza Rimassa (MC & WG3 Member), Chiara Braconi (Action Vice-Chair) and Rocio Macias (Action Chair), this series of two articles published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe presents updates on novel treatments for biliary tract cancers (BTC) and a detailed look into disparities in diagnosis and treatment across Europe.

In “Mapping the landscape of biliary tract cancer in Europe: challenges and controversies,” the first article of this series, Rimassa and co-authors from the Network and beyond discuss the unresolved inequalities between and within European countries which lead to poorer patient outcomes. These include insufficient access to diagnostic tools, multidisciplinary care, and advanced treatment options. According to the authors, these disparities might be diminished by increasing awareness and promoting discussion between multi-disciplinary teams, initiative which would be greatly advanced through the efforts of patient advocacy groups.

In a like manner, in their discussion of treatment strategies in “New systemic treatment paradigms in advanced biliary tract cancer and variations in patient access across Europe,” authors also foreground the issue of regional disparities in access to treatment. While there has been tremendous advancement in treatment in recent years, the authors maintain, access to targeted therapies and molecular testing via next-generation sequencing remains inadequate; this latter issue aggravated by the dissonance between drug approvals and national level approval and reimbursement of associated biomarker tests.

International and multidisciplinary initiatives like the Precision-BTC Network are fundamental to resolving these inequalities in diagnosis, regulation and treatment. Through the effort of this network and others like it, multi-stakeholders are provided a structure which enables them to confront these challenges holistically and in a way that is sensitive to the spectrum of local circumstances and needs.

The articles in highlighted here can be accessed by clicking the titles above. This series also includes two comment pieces: “Biliary tract cancers: addressing healthcare disparities and improving access to innovative treatments in Europe” and “Understanding Cholangiocarcinoma—perspectives from three European advocacy groups,” in addition to a podcast and infographic which can be found on the Precision-BTC website.