From June 17th to 19th, SHINE participated in the Oncology Days 2026, organised by the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI). In this 48th edition the annual meeting was in Warsaw.
SHINE’s CEO Carina Dantas joined the Patients Working Group Session led by Paulina Bravo, Chairperson of the OECI for Patients Working Group and member of the OECI Accreditation & Designation Board. The session explored how Patient and Public Partnership (PPP) can become a more meaningful and sustainable part of cancer care, research and organisational culture across OECI Centres. It also presented findings from a multi-centre qualitative study examining how centres understand, implement and promote PPP in practice.
How can cancer centres move from patient involvement to meaningful partnership? Through an interdisciplinary discussion bringing together different perspectives and experiences, Carina Dantas, Roxana Plesoianu, Chiara Pilotti, Francesco De Lorenzo (FAVO – Federazione italiana delle Organizzazioni di Volontariato in Oncologia), Sophie Beaupère, Alexia Francesca Bertuzzi, Caitriona Higgins and Cesar Muñoz Sánchez-Miguel reflected on current challenges, enabling factors and practical ways to strengthen partnerships with patients and the public across the OECI network.
“We explored how patients-as-partners can strengthen research, governance, care pathways and decision-making processes, ultimately helping us deliver cancer care that focuses not only on survival, but also on quality of life and lived experience”, says SHINE’s CEO.
In a second session called “EUonQol – Quality of Life in Cancer Care”, Carina Dantas joined Cinzia Brunelli, Katrine Rolid, Caitriona Higgins, Alexandra Eni, Inke Minnée-van Braak and Mogens Groenvold in discussing how quality of life can become a measurable and integrate part of cancer care across Europe. The conversation highlighted the growing importance of patient-reported outcomes, digital tools and responsible AI-enabled approaches in understanding what truly matters to people living with and beyond cancer.
“Quality of life should not be an afterthought! It should be a core outcome of cancer care”, says Carina Dantas.
The OECI Oncology Days brought together more than 400 cancer care professionals, researchers, patient advocates and policymakers from across Europe to advance collaboration in cancer care, research and quality improvement.
Deeply committed to patient engagement, quality of life, and co-creation in healthcare, Carina Dantas says, “It’s wonderful to be able to contribute to this important conversation and share perspectives on how we can ensure that patients are not only heard but also active partners in building the future of cancer treatment. Patients as partners are not a ‘differentiating factor’ in cancer treatment: we are essential to building a future where care is more effective, more equitable, and more meaningful for everyone affected by cancer.”