On November 17, 2022 The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), based in Brussels, Belgium, and the King Hussein Cancer Centre (KHCC) in Amman, Jordan reported the signing of an agreement to develop, conduct, and promote translational and clinical cancer research in the Middle East region (Press release, EORTC, NOV 17, 2022, View Source [SID1234624226]). The KHCC will act as the Middle East Co-ordinating Office (MECO) and will provide support to EORTC for its activities. This is the first EORTC collaboration in the region and will form an important part of its effort to develop cancer research in middle-income countries where many patients have not yet had the opportunity to take part in clinical trials.
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Welcoming the signing, EORTC and EORTC Cancer Research Fund (ECRF) Honorary President, HRH Princess Dina Mired of Jordan, said: "The MECO agreement demonstrates how the EORTC stays true to its mission of improving survival and quality of life for all cancer patients. Access to clinical cancer research means a step forward to closing the gap in cancer patient treatment and care. As a Jordanian and Honorary President of the EORTC/ECRF I am proud of the joint initiative between the EORTC and the KHCC."
Dr Lacombe_EORTC_ Dr Mansour_KHCC
The KHCC has successfully contributed to six EORTC clinical trials since 2017 and has a representation of 13 members covering all EORTC research groups. The establishment of the MECO will enable the further development of joint activities with collaborators in the Middle East region. Among the first collaborative activities will be a Clinical Trials Statistics course co-organised by the partners. This will take place in Amman from 15-17 November, taught by an EORTC faculty of statisticians.
Dr Denis Lacombe, EORTC Chief Executive Officer, said: "We are delighted that this collaboration will allow us to expand in the Middle East and bring our expertise to help cancer patients in this part of the world. EORTC is a European organisation, but with an international outlook and a mission to improve the lives of cancer patients worldwide. The agreement with the KHCC brings us a step closer to the achievement of this mission."
Dr Mansour, Chief Executive Officer of the KHCC, said: "We are very excited to start this new era of clinical cancer research in the Middle East, and confident that through the activities of "MECO", we will find synergies with collaborators from this region to conduct cutting-edge research projects and clinical trials that will help us understand how we can embrace and optimize all the advancements taking place in cancer diagnosis and treatment to the benefit of each individual patient, and provide our patients with more opportunities to take part in clinical trials and access newly developed life-saving drugs that may not be available outside the research setting".