Development of a code of conduct on fair access of cancer survivors to financial services : final study report

Thanks to advances in early cancer detection, effective therapies and supportive care, the prognosis for a cancer diagnosis is better than ever before. Yet, for some people with a history of cancer, obstacles persist when accessing financial services, even years after the end of their treatment. To bridge this gap and build consensus on how to best enable access to financial services for cancer survivors, a series of activities was undertaken.aiming to bring together stakeholders from the financial, consumer, patient and healthcare communities to discuss, and reach consensus on a voluntary code of conduct for a fair access to financial services for cancer survirvors. This project forms part of the Europe's Beating Cancer Plan's effort of improving the quality of life of people with a history of cancer. To facilitate an informed approach, evidence on the experienced difficulties in accessing financial services for long-term cancer survivors was collected, as well as information on the existing mechanisms for warranting access to financial services for long-term cancer survivors. Cancer survival data was collected and analysed focusing on common cancer types and comparing current survival and cure statistics across the EU27 with those of 20 years ago. The evidence was collected through desk research as well as targeted interviews and an EU-wide survey distributed to stakeholders from the financial, consumer, patient and healthcare communities. In addition to evidence, via these activities, stakeholder opinions were collected through a series of nine roundtable discussions, taking place between October 2023 and April 2024. The aim of these discussions was to exchange views and collaborate on the development of a voluntary Code of Conduct fostering access to financial services for cancer survivors. A stocktaking event following the 9th roundtable discussions underscored the commitment of stakeholders to address the financial and social challenges faced by cancer survivors, highlighting the "Right To Be Forgotten" ("RTBF") as a crucial measure to improve cancer survivors' quality of life. At the time of drafting this report, discussions on a Code of Conduct between some of the involved stakeholders are still ongoing.