Patient involvement

Providing benefits for cancer patients is a cross-cutting objective of iCAN. This is accomplished in two ways. Firstly, through the acceleration of scientific discovery in cancer care, diagnostics and treatment. And secondly, through systematic, proactive interaction with the cancer patient and carer community.

Cancer patients are engaged through participation at all stages of iCAN to ensure research quality, relevance, and effective dissemination and application of the results. The purpose is to ensure relevance and impact of the project for cancer patients.

Listen to Bettina Ryll’s (MD, PhD) talk on patient involvement in research at the symposium Mission: Possible – Delivering Precision Cancer Medicine in Helsinki, Finland in September 2022. The symposium was organized by iCAN and the Finnish Cancer Institute.

Patient and Citizen Advisory Board

Patient representatives have been incorporated at all levels of the iCAN governance structure. The Patient and Citizen Advisory Board (PCAB, POTKU in Finnish) enables patients and researchers to share their perspectives and priorities and facilitates two-way interaction and dialogue.

The eleven members of the PCAB act as a link between the broader public, citizens, cancer patients and patient organizations and the iCAN research, management and project teams. They are based in various parts of Finland and represent several cancer patient organizations.

Activities

iCAN organizes events for patients and public. Coming events will be published in the news.

Group photo and white lung cancer awareness ribbon — Participants of the lung cancer patient-researcher meetup in Nov 2022. Photo: Inka Tuomisto/PSWFolders Oy

Tiedekulma puhujat 080921 p — Participants of the lung cancer patient-researcher meetup in Nov 2022. Photo: Inka Tuomisto/PSWFolders Oy