Objectives of the CRT meeting

As the landscape of cancer therapy continues to evolve rapidly — driven by advances in early diagnosis and personalised treatment that are significantly improving prognosis — cardiovascular safety is no longer a secondary concern. It has become a shared responsibility at the heart of effective and sustainable cancer care. The ESC Cardiovascular Round Table (CRT) on Cardio-Oncology will bring together key stakeholders from academia, regulatory bodies, industry and patient organisations to address this urgent need through structured dialogue, scientific insight and collaborative problem-solving.

This high-level strategic meeting will focus on three overarching goals:

• Advancing a unified approach to cardiovascular safety assessment for modern and emerging cancer therapies, through improved risk stratification, better representation of diverse patient profiles — including sex, age and underlying cardiovascular disease — and alignment of safety endpoints across trials and clinical practice.
• Exploring innovative strategies for acute and long-term cardiovascular surveillance, integrating imaging, laboratory and genetic biomarkers with digital health solutions to promote equitable, continuous and high-quality care for patients with cancer and survivors.
• Promoting coordinated action across research, regulation and advocacy, laying the groundwork for harmonised data collection and continuity of cardiovascular care across the cancer trajectory.

The programme includes plenary discussions, expert-led workshops and patient contributions, creating a unique space for multi-stakeholder dialogue and forward-looking solutions in cardio-oncology. This initiative reflects the ESC’s commitment to improving outcomes not only by addressing evidence gaps but by anticipating the future of care.

Reference documents:

• EMA paper on the assessment of cardiovascular safety of oncology medicinal products 
• 2022 ESC Guidelines on Cardio-Oncology 

Co-Chairs

Academic Chairpersons

• Dr. Teresa Lopez Fernandez
• Dr. Alexander Lyon 
• Prof. Cecilia Linde (ESC President-elect and ESC Chair of the CRT)

Industry Chairpersons  

• Dr. Bettina Kraus (Boehringer-Ingelheim)/ Industry Chair of the CRT
• Dr. Andre Ziegler (Roche Diagnostics)
• Prof. Eigil Samset (GE Healthcare)

Programme under construction

20 January
WELCOME SESSION – Cancer Therapy in Transformation

• 13:00–13:05 Welcome from the CRT Chairpersons
  Cecilia Linde, Bettina Kraus (BI)
• 13:05–13:20 Cardiovascular Safety During Active Cancer Treatment: What It Means in 2025
  - Evandro de Azambuja (ESMO) 
• 13:20–13:35 Cancer Survivorship: Cardiovascular Risks, Challenges and Opportunities
  Alexander R Lyon
• 13:35–13:50 Patient Perspective: Living Between Two Specialties: A Survivor’s Story – 

  Richard Stephens (ESC Patient Forum)

• 13:50–14:10 Panel Discussion

14:10 -17:40
SESSION 1.1 – Advanced Cancer Therapies and Evolving Risks
Moderators: Alexander R Lyon

• 14:10–14:25 Evolving Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products: CAR-T Cells, TILs and Beyond
  Attila Sebe
• 14:25–14:40 Next-Generation Targeted Therapies: Opportunities and Emerging Risks
  Industry representative
• 14:40–14:55 The Onco-hematologist’s View: Integrating Novel Therapies and Cardiovascular Safety
  Annamaria Brioli
• 14:55–15:10 Regulatory Perspective: How the EMA Addresses Cardiovascular Safety in Innovation
  Antonio Gómez Outes (EMA)
• 15:10–15:30 Panel Discussion
• 15:30–16:00 Coffee Break

16:00–17:00 – Breakout Sessions: Identifying the Key Problems
Chairs: Peter van der meer and Bettina Kraus (BI) 

• Group 1 (Warpen): Defining Cardiovascular Safety Endpoints: Regulatory and Clinical Alignment
  Lead: Carlo Gabriele Tocchetti  / Rapporteur: TBD
• Group 2 (Hollandia A): Personalised Risk Scores in Clinical Trials: Promise and Barriers
  Lead: Patrick Vrijlandt (EMA) / Rapporteur: Geeta Gulati
• Group 3 (Hollandia B): From Guidelines to Practice: Reporting and Surveillance
  Lead: Dinesh Thavendiranathan / Rapporteur: TBD
• Group 4 (Oranje): Minimum Dataset for Cardio-Oncology: Towards a Common Language
  Lead: Dimitrios Farmakis / Rapporteur: Mirko De Melis (Medtronic)

Reports from Breakout Sessions

• 17:10–17:20 Report 1
  Rapporteur: TBD
• 17:20–17:30 Report 2
  Rapporteur: Geeta Gulati
• 17:30–17:40 Report 3
  Rapporteur: TBD
• 17:40–17:50 Report 4
  Rapporteur: Mirko De Melis (Medtronic)
• 17:50–18:10 Panel Discussion

17:40 -18:30
SESSION 1.2 – Getting Risk Stratification Right
Moderators: )  Bettina Kraus (BI) and Marianne Aznar (ESTRO) 

• 17:40–17:55 Research perspective
  Pietro Ameri
• 17:55–18:10 Clinical perspective
  Teresa López Fernandez
• 18:10–18:30 Wrap-up & Summary (Day 1) / Outlook to Day 2
  Cecilia Linde & Bettina Kraus (BI)

21 January

• 08:30–08:40 Summary of Day 1
  Teresa Lopez Fernandez & Andre Ziegler (Roche Diagnostics)

8:40-10:50
SESSION 2.1 – Monitoring in Motion: Tools for Real-World Safety and Clinical Trials
Moderators: Cecilia Linde, Andre Ziegler (Roche Diagnostics)

• 08:40–08:55 Harnessing Artificial Intelligence in Imaging to Advance Cardio-Oncology Care
  Chiara Bucciarelli
• 08:55–09:10 Patient perspective – Patient representative
• 09:10–09:30 Panel Discussion

09:30–10:10 – Breakout Sessions (Smarter Monitoring, Safer Care)
Leads: Thomas F Luscher & Eigil Samset (GE Healthcare)

• Group 5 (Warpen): Sex-related disparities in diagnosis & treatment
  Lead: Ariane Macedo / Rapporteur: Industry representative
• Group 6 (Hollandia A): Artificial Intelligence
  Lead: Victoria Delgado  / Rapporteur: Steve Archibald 
• Group 7 (Hollandia B): Detection – diagnostic approach
  Lead: TBD / Rapporteur: TBD
• Group 8 (Oranje): Digital Tools
  Lead: Giuseppe Boriani / Rapporteur: TBD

Reports from Breakout Sessions

• 10:10–10:20 Report 5
  Rapporteur: Industry representative
• 10:20–10:30 Report 6
  Rapporteur: TBD
• 10:30–10:40 Report 7
  Rapporteur: TBD
• 10:40–10:50 Report 8
  Rapporteur: TBD
• 10:40–11:00 Coffee Break

11:00 - 12:45
SESSION 2.2 – Survivorship and Systems: Designing Safer Therapies for the Long Term
Moderators: Antonio Gómez Outes (EMA), Filippo Crea

• 11:15–11:30 From Drug Design to Long-Term Care: Making Safety Sustainable
  Industry representative
• 11:30–11:45 Advocacy in Survivorship: Driving Policy, Research and Access
  - Susanna Price 
• 11:45–12:00 New Consortia Tackling Unmet Needs in Cardio-Oncology
  • COMPASS - Stephen Archibald 
• 12:00–12:30 Panel Discussion & Next Steps
  Alexander Lyon, Bettina Kraus (BI)
• 12:30–12:45 Wrap-up & Conclusion
  Cecilia Linde, Teresa Lopez Fernandez