Mission and Vision

Our Mission

To reduce the burden of cancer, improve outcomes and the quality of care for cancer patients, through multidisciplinarity and multiprofessionalism.

As the not-for-profit federation of member organisations working in cancer at a European level, we convene oncology professionals and patients to agree policy, advocate for positive change and be the united voice of the European cancer community.

Our Vision

To be a vibrant, pro-active, focused, relevant and influential federation, working together for a cancer free future, ensuring that every patient has high quality care and treatment, with access to the full range of professionals needed.

To create and develop ever-strengthening relationships between European institutions and the European cancer care community, and with our Member Societies, Patient Advisory Committee and Focused Topic Networks, facilitate collaboration and consensus towards tangible and impactful policy improvement.

Our Values

Our essential and enduring values are:

• Patient Centricity – Putting cancer patients at the centre of our concerns and activities and strive to do the best for them

• Commitment to Science – Reflecting the very latest scientific knowledge and be completely independent of any vested interests

• Cohesiveness – We believe in the power of combining the efforts of our members and other stakeholders who have a common mission

• Inclusiveness – We seek to include all non-profit organisations that share our mission, vision and values

• Equality and Fairness – All our members have a voice in the organisation and we strive to transcend the interests of any one member

• Openness and Transparency – We are committed to be transparent in and accountable for all that we do

Our Story

In the early 1980s, a few European visionaries working in oncology laid the groundwork for multidisciplinarity in cancer care, entailing that tackling cancer was a team effort that required a coordinated approach. It was a relatively new concept at the time, but 40 years later, multidisciplinarity is viewed as the best approach to cancer treatment.

It was consequently decided to bring together major players in cancer research, treatment, and care in order to create awareness of patients’ wishes and needs, encourage progressive thinking in cancer policy, education, and training, and continue to promote European cancer research and its application through the organisation of a multidisciplinary conference called ECCO - the European Conference on Clinical Oncology (later renamed ECCO-the European Cancer Conference). To strengthen and further develop these ideas, in 1981 six professional societies, ESMO, ESTRO, ESSO, EACR, EONS, SIOPE legally founded FECS (Federation of European Cancer Societies).

After a period of reflection in 2006 and 2007, during which many players in oncology were consulted, FECS was transformed into a new dynamic entity: the European Cancer Organisation. This was officially announced at the European Cancer Conference in Barcelona in September 2007, where the organisation was launched under its new name.

Read our full story here.

Find out more about our Strategy for 2024-2027 here.