Background: EUSOMA undertook the commitment of defining the requirements for a specialist breast centre, which has become the reference document for the implementation of breast centres.
Summary: The EUSOMA requirements for a specialist breast centre give clear indications regarding the requisite caseload, dedicated team composition (core and non-core team), organisation, availability of services and equipment throughout the patient pathway, quality control, and application of a multidisciplinary approach. The minimum number of cases is 150 newly diagnosed breast cancer cases per year. Based on the EUSOMA requirements, a voluntary and accredited certification scheme has been developed. In Europe, other voluntary certification schemes are available, such as those developed by the German Cancer Society and German Society for Breast Disease, the National Cancer Peer Review Programme in the UK, and the "label de qualité" established by the Swiss Anticancer League and the Swiss Senology Society. The European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer (ECIBC) has overseen the development of a European Quality Assurance Scheme.
Key messages: Nearly 20 years after the initial publication of the EUSOMA requirements, ensuring that all breast cancer patients in Europe are treated only in certified breast centres should be considered a high priority and eventually achieved through collaborative efforts.
Keywords: Breast centre; Certification; Multidisciplinary; Quality control; Quality indicators.
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