“And we shall call it: OncoNoVo+!” The oncology network of all thirteen hospitals in the North Holland/Flevoland region will now work together under this banner. Although the network will be officially established in July 2023, the new name, along with the logo, was informally launched at a lively networking event in mid-March.

OncoNoVo+ refers to the provinces of North Holland and FleVoland where the
participating hospitals are located, while the plus symbolizes other healthcare
institutions within and outside the region that also collaborate in this
initiative. Prof. Geert Kazemier (Amsterdam UMC – Cancer Center Amsterdam) and Prof. Michel Wouters (Antoni van Leeuwenhoek) proudly unveiled the new logo at the
meeting that brought together various stakeholders of the initiative.

"Admittedly, we are the second-to-last region in the Netherlands to formally form an oncology network," Prof. Wouters said. "But this has allowed us to learn a lot from other networks, and we see many opportunities for joint knowledge exchange and referrals."

After the logo unveiling, Prof. Kazemier immediately moved on to a key topic: the Integral Care Agreement (Integraal Zorg Akkoord, IZA) that the field has endorsed to make care efficient and sustainable. "OncoNoVo+ encompasses a region that serves almost a quarter of the total number of oncology patients in the Netherlands. That demands a good regional infrastructure!"

Use that app!

Thanks to the GE-Oncology Network Council, significant infrastructure steps have already been taken, including the formation of an app. Prof. Marc Besselink (Amsterdam UMC – Cancer Center Amsterdam), leader of the Network Council, asked everyone in the room to install the Onco NH-FL app on their phone, if they had not done so already. The app, developed with Citrien funds, provides information on four established regional care pathways (with more to follow) including all the contact details of healthcare professionals involved in the region.

"The app ensures that we all have the same information in an easily accessible way," said Prof. Besselink. He also made an offer. "If there is a need from other tumor working groups to add a care pathway in the app, we will gladly create a new tile!"

Prostate cancer network the Netherlands

The added value of working together in a network was further illustrated later in the program with a great regional example. Aniek Willems and urologist Prof. Henk van de Poel (both Antoni van Leeuwenhoek) explained network care for patients with prostate cancer on behalf of the Prostate Cancer Network the Netherlands. The prostate cancer network facilitates the best care for each patient, regardless of where they start their care trajectory. “For complex surgery, patients go to a specific location that specializes in that operation, while standard care or follow-up care can be provided by their own GP or local hospital around the corner.”

Ren voor de Regio

Finally, Prof. Sonja Zweegman and Dr. Wendy Onstenk (both Amsterdam UMC – Cancer Center Amsterdam) drew attention to the Dutch Cancer Society (KWF)-funded project ‘Ren voor de Regio’ (Run for regional research).

The goal of this project is to establish a regional research infrastructure that will facilitate patients’ access to innovative treatments being tested in clinical trials. In close collaboration with Antoni van Leeuwenhoekziekenhuis, the project will establish a regional research team to support hospitals in the region - starting with Dijklander Ziekenhuis, Spaarne Gasthuis, Flevoziekenhuis, OLVG and Noordwest Ziekenhuisgroep – in efficiently initiating and conducting clinical research.

The initial phase of the project is focused on aligning study startup procedures to allow rapid and efficient start-up and implementation of the trials. A regional biobank and health data infrastructure will also be established for research purposes. At the end of the four-year project, the research infrastructure is expected to be embedded within OncoNoVo+ to seamlessly connect care and research in the region.

Eefje van Kessel, Program Manager Care at Cancer Center Amsterdam: “It was an inspiring and well-attended hybrid networking evening. Thanks to all participants!”

For more information, contact Eefje van Kessel.

Partners

Regional Oncology Networks

Citrienfonds

IKNL (Integral Cancer Centre of the Netherlands)

DORP (Dutch Oncology Research Platform)

All hospitals in North Holland and Flevoland

This article was adapted and translated from ‘Nieuw oncologienetwerk: OncoNoVo+’, published by Regional Oncology Networks.