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There has been an increasing interest in patient satisfaction assessment across nations recently. This paper reports on a cross-cultural comparison of the comprehensive assessment of satisfaction with care (CASC) response scales. We investigated what proportion of patients wanted care improvement for the same level of satisfaction across samples from oncology settings in France, Italy, Poland and Sweden, and whether age, gender, education level and type of items affected the relationships found. The CASC addresses patient's satisfaction with the care received in oncology hospitals. Patients are invited to rate aspects of care and to mention for each of these aspects, whether they would want improvement.One hundred and forty, 395, 186 and 133 consecutive patients were approached in oncology settings from France, Italy, Poland and Sweden, respectively. Across country settings, an increasing percentage of patients wanted care improvement for decreasing levels of satisfaction. However, in France a higher percentage of patients wanted care improvement for high-satisfaction ratings whereas in Poland a lower percentage of patients wanted care improvement for low-satisfaction ratings. Age and education level had a similar effect across countries. Confronting levels of satisfaction with desire for care improvement appeared useful in comprehending the meaning of response choice labels for the CASC across oncology settings from different linguistic and cultural background. Linguistic or socio-cultural differences were suggested for explaining discrepancies between countries.

The 2015 European Cancer Congress (ECC2015) was the widest European platform for every professional involved in the struggle against cancer (17,656 participants, 2482 abstracts submitted). In this context, the nursing contribution was very relevant, involving high quality research and experience. The major nursing issues were: online information and support; innovations in cancer nursing roles; patient safety and the nursing workforce; managing older people with cancer and other co-morbidities; living with and beyond cancer; nutrition and body image changes; the changing face of cancer care for oncology nurses. Indeed, an important amount of research was presented during proffered papers and poster presentations by nurses from all over the world, concerning challenging issues, such as advanced nursing roles, end of life care, impact of cancer on patients and families, new developments, supportive and palliative care, survivorship and rehabilitation, symptom management and transitions in care.Nurses’ presentations were mainly focused on understanding patients’ needs and on sharing the best evidence-based approach to meet those needs. This is particularly significant in a field where innovation develops rapidly in every area of clinical practice, such as cancer care, bridging the weaknesses between different approaches and profiles, within the paradigm of multidisciplinarity.

The European Oncology Nursing Society (EONS), in partnership with the Oncology Nursing Association of Turkey (TONA), organised the 9th EONS Congress in Istanbul, Turkey, 18-19 September 2014. The Congress venue was in Harbiye Cultural Centre and Istanbul Military Museum and offered two days of unprecedented scientific, educational, and networking opportunities for all stakeholders active in the field of oncology nursing around the world.EONS is a pan-European organisation dedicated to the support and development of cancer nurses. Through individual members and national societies EONS engages in projects to help nurses develop their skills, network with each other, and raise the profile of cancer nursing across Europe.This biennial Congress brings together cancer nurses across the globe from many fields of expertise to 'Celebrate Excellence in Cancer Nursing' through interactive sessions, lectures, and collegial networking. The format was specifically designed to meet the needs of nurses working in the field of cancer care, education, and research.

The European Cancer Organisation (ECCO) was founded on the ideas of the former Federation of European Cancer Societies (FECS). The ECCO was officially announced at the European Cancer Conference in Barcelona in September 2007, replacing the FECS as a dynamic new entity. Through its members, the ECCO represents the interests of over 50,000 professionals in oncology. The ECCO continues to expand its outreach and education through its prestigious biennial series of Congresses. This report highlights the nursing contributions at the seventeenth ECCO Congress in Amsterdam.At the congress, there were more than 17,000 professionals involved in the struggle against cancer. A record number of abstracts (3306) were submitted, almost 40% more than the 2011 conference. Related topics during nursing sessions were often aimed at investigating the meaning of the multidisciplinary approach and what it implies for daily practice under different profiles. The debates showed that the multidisciplinary approach primarily means 'new challenges' for all the practitioners involved. The main challenge for nurses is to meet the needs of a rapidly changing society with some European peculiarities, such as the ageing population, the escalating costs of healthcare in a period of economic crises, fast changing treatments, changes in cancer services and the way nurses deliver care, and multidisciplinary empowerment as a modern concept of care. In this landscape, we also have to consider that cancer often becomes a chronic disease with an increasing number of treatment lines, an increasing number of survivors, and more conscious and exigent patients. We also have to consider the importance of diversity in cancer care.