A new report, published as part of EU Navigate, highlights the invaluable potential of patient navigation for older people with cancer.

Patient navigation programmes are non-pharmacological initiatives to support, educate, and empower patients to ensure they have timely access to needed services and resources. Their central component is a ‘patient navigator’, a person who may or may not have a health-related background and engages with patients on an individual basis to provide companionship and support.

The new report finds that a flexible patient- and family-focused approach using specially trained volunteers is essential to meet Europe’s diverse needs and improve quality of life for older people with cancer.

Entitled ‘Patient Navigation: The Path Towards Reduced Cancer Inequalities in Europe?’, the report is the result of an extensive stakeholder forum held in the run-up to the European Elections. 

‘Patient navigation has been a great success in the US and Canada,’ said Prof. Dr Lieve Van den Block, Chair of the Ageing and Palliative Care Research Programme, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). ‘Unfortunately, very few cancer navigation services have been developed in Europe, let alone tested using high-quality research methods. EU Navigate will lead the way, charting a course for more effective patient navigation services in the EU.’

‘Lack of access to palliative care can result in preventable suffering and reduced quality of life for patients with life-limiting conditions, such as cancer,’ added Dr Julie Ling, Chief Executive Officer, European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC). ‘Patient navigation offers a valuable opportunity to enhance the integration of palliative care into standard cancer treatment across the life span.’

The EU Navigate stakeholder forum in March 2024 brought together more than 100 authorities on the subject and included representatives from the White House in Washington, D.C., the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), MyCancerNavigator, CANCERLESS and CO-CAPTAIN.

Read the ful report here.