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
Day 1 | 20 January 2025 |
Welcome Session Cancer therapy in transformation
13:00 – 14:00 CEST | Meeting Room: WARPEN
Moderated by: Teresa Lopez Ferandez and Eigil Samset (GE Healthcare)
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13:00-13:05 |
Welcome from the CRT Chairpersons |
Cecilia Linde Bettina Kraus (BI) |
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13:05-13:15
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Cardiovascular Safety During Active Cancer Treatment: What It Means in 2025
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Evandro de Azambuja (ESMO) |
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13:15-13:25
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Cancer Survivorship: Cardiovascular Risks, Challenges and Opportunities
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Alexander R Lyon
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13:25-13:35
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Patient Perspective: Living Between Two Specialties: A Survivor’s Story |
Richard Stephens (ESC Patient Forum)
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13:35-13:55 |
PANEL DISCUSSION |
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14:00 -17:30 SESSION 1.1 – Advanced Cancer therapies and Evolving risks Moderated by: Thorsten Fuereder and Alexander R lyon |
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14:00-14:10
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Evolving Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products: CAR-T Cells, TILs and Beyond
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Attila Sebe
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14:10-14:20
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Next-Generation Targeted Therapies: Opportunities and Emerging Risks
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industry representative
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14:20-14:30
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The Onco-hematologist’s View: Integrating Novel Therapies and Cardiovascular Safety
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Annamaria Brioli (EHA)
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14:30-14:40
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Regulatory Perspective: How the EMA Addresses Cardiovascular Safety in Innovation |
Antonio Gómez Outes (EMA)
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14:40-15:00 |
PANEL DISCUSSION |
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15:00-15:30 |
Coffee break |
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15:30-16:30 |
BREAKOUT SESSIONS: Identifying the Key Problems CHAIRS: Peter van der meer and Bettina Kraus (BI) |
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Group 1: meeting room: Warpen Defining Cardiovascular Safety Endpoints: Regulatory and Clinical Alignment |
Lead: Carlo Gabriele Tocchetti Rapporteur: Alar Irs (EMA) |
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Group 2: meeting room: Hollandia A Personalised Risk Scores in Clinical Trials: Promise and Practical Barriers
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Lead : Patrick Vrijlandt (EMA) Rapporteur: : Geeta Gulati |
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Group 3: meeting room: Hollandia B From Guidelines to Practice: Challenges in Reporting and Surveillance
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Lead: Dinesh Thavendiranathan Rapporteur |
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Group 4: meeting room: Oranje Minimum Dataset for Cardio-Oncology: Towards a Common Language
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Lead: Dimitrios Farmakis Rapporteur: Mirko De Melis (Medtronic) |
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16:30-16:40 |
Report from breakout session 1 – 10 mins |
Rapporteur : Alar Irs (EMA) |
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16:40-16:50 |
Report from breakout session 2 – 10 mins |
Rapporteur : Geeta Gulati |
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16:50-17:00 |
Report from breakout session 3 – 10 mins |
Rapporteur : |
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17:00-17:10 |
Report from breakout session 4 – 10 mins |
Rapporteur : Mirko De Melis (Medtronic)
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17:10-17:30 |
PANEL DISCUSSION |
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17:30 -18:10 SESSION 1.2 – Getting Risk Stratification Right Moderated by: |
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17:30-17:40
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Research perspective |
Pietro Ameri |
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17:40-17:50
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Clinical perspective |
Teresa López Fernandez |
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17:50-18:10 |
Wrap-up and summary Day 1 – Outlook to Day 2 |
Cecilia Linde & Bettina Kraus (BI) |
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END OF DAY 1 |
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19:30 |
APERITIF+DINNER |
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08:30-08:40 |
Summary of day 1 |
Teresa Lopez Fernandez & Andre Ziegler (Roche Diagnostics) |
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8:40-10:50 - SESSION 2.1: MONITORING in Motion: Tools for Real-World Safety and clinical trials Moderated by: Cecilia Linde and Andre Ziegler (Roche Diagnostics) |
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08:40-08:50
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Harnessing Artificial Intelligence in Imaging to Advance Cardio-Oncology Care |
Chiara Bucciarelli |
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08:50-09:00 |
Patient perspective |
Patient representative |
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09:00-09:20 |
PANEL DISCUSSION |
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09:20-10:00
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BREAKOUT SESSIONS Smarter Monitoring, Safer Care
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Addressing sex-related disparities in diagnosis, treatment and outcomes through personalized cardiovascular monitoring |
Lead: Ariane Macedo Rapporteur: Industry representative |
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Group 6: meeting room: Hollandia A Artificial Intelligence
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Lead: Victoria Delgado Rapporteur: Steve Archibald
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Group 7: meeting room: Hollandia B Detection - diagnostic approach |
Lead: Rapporteur: |
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Group 8 meeting room: Oranje Digital Tools |
Lead: Giuseppe Boriani Rapporteur: : Joerg Herrmann
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10:00-10:30 |
Coffee break |
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10:30-10:40 |
Report from breakout session 5 – 10 mins |
Rapporteur: Industry representative |
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10:40-10:50 |
Report from breakout session 6 – 10 mins |
Rapporteur: Steve Archibald
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10:50-11:00 |
Report from breakout session 7 – 10 mins |
Rapporteur: |
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11:00-11:10 |
Report from breakout session 8 – 10 mins |
Rapporteur: Joerg Herrmann
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11:10 - 12:15 - SESSION 2.2: SURVIVORSHIP AND SYSTEMS: DESIGNING SAFER THERAPIES FOR THE LONG TERM Moderated by: Filippo Crea and Antonio Gómez Outes (EMA) |
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11:20-11:30
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From Drug Design to Long-Term Care – Making Safety Sustainable |
Industry Representative |
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11:30-11:40 5 min presentation each |
Advocacy in Survivorship: Driving Policy, Research and Access to Safer Therapies |
Susanna Price |
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11:40-12:00 |
Consortium presentations : COMPASS |
Stephen Archibald |
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12:00-12:15 |
PANEL DISCUSSION and NEXT STEPS |
Alexander Lyon and Bettina Kraus (BI) |
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11:20-11:30
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Wrap-up & conclusion |
Cecilia Linde and Teresa Lopez Fernandez |
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END OF DAY 2 |
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12:15 |
Buffet lunch and departures |
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Our mission: To reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.