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Breast Service Accreditation Project

Susan Knox outlines the importance of having accredited centres and services

Europa Donna has been advocating for an EU accreditation protocol for specialist breast units for many years and such a protocol was called for in the European Parliament Resolution on Breast Cancer of 2006.  In 2012 the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) was designated to carry out an enlarged project to encompass accreditation of all breast services from screening and early detection through to follow up and rehabilitation after breast cancer. This mandate also includes revising the 4th edition of the ‘EU Guidelines on quality assurance in breast cancer screening and diagnosis’. 

The JRC has assembled a team to help implement this project and gain its acceptance from all stakeholders both professional, experts in the field, as well as patients and member state health ministries. This is a huge but important challenge to fulfill.  It is extremely important to patients and patient advocates to ensure that women will know that they are receiving screening and treatment for breast cancer in a qualified accredited center and that the standards for breast services will be at the same high level in each country with an accredited service. This is of paramount concern to women and patients across Europe.  Professionals in the breast cancer field are working toward the same goals as there is ample evidence to show that screening must be conducted according to the standards set out by the EU Guidelines and outcomes are better when early detection is followed by patients being treated in specialist breast units set up according to EU Guidelines. The EUROPA DONNA Session ‘Breast Service Accreditation Project’ on Thursday 20 March, 8:45 to 10:15, will provide insight from three key perspectives: the breast cancer patient, the breast cancer specialist, and the Joint Research Centre conducting the project.