ECLLA European Policy Roundtable “Pathways to Equitable CLL Care Across Europe”

Held annually, the Roundtable provides a unique platform for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and consensus-building, ensuring that the voices and experiences of people living with CLL help shape future European policy, advocacy, and healthcare priorities.

The inaugural ECLLA European Policy Roundtable took place in Dublin, Ireland, on 9 May 2026 under the theme: “Pathways to Equitable CLL Care Across Europe”. The event brought together representatives from across the European CLL community to explore challenges, identify opportunities for improvement, and develop a shared vision for more equitable CLL care across Europe.

Why the Roundtable Matters

Despite significant advances in CLL treatment and survival over recent years, access to diagnosis, molecular testing, innovative therapies, clinical trials, supportive care, and psychosocial services remains highly variable across Europe.
Many people living with CLL continue to experience inequalities based on geography, healthcare infrastructure, reimbursement systems, and availability of specialist services.

The ECLLA European Policy Roundtable was established to:

• Explore inequalities in CLL diagnosis, treatment, care, and support across Europe
• Identify national and regional challenges impacting patients and healthcare professionals
• Share examples of good practice and successful initiatives
• Better understand unmet psychosocial and supportive care needs
• Strengthen European collaboration between stakeholders
• Define future advocacy and policy priorities for ECLLA

The initiative reflects ECLLA’s commitment to ensuring that every person living with CLL in Europe has access to equitable, informed, and optimal care.

Bringing Europe Together

The inaugural Roundtable convened 27 participants representing a broad range of stakeholder perspectives, including:

• National CLL and blood cancer patient advocacy organisation representatives
• Clinicians and healthcare professionals
• Psychosocial care experts
• Policy and advocacy specialists
• Academic and research experts
• Pharmaceutical industry partners
• ECLLA leadership and collaborators

Participating countries included: Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, North Macedonia, the Netherlands, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

This diversity of experience enabled rich discussions around both shared European challenges and country-specific realities, helping to identify common priorities while recognising differences in healthcare systems and resources.

Key Discussion Themes

Roundtable discussions explored the full CLL patient pathway and broader European policy landscape.

• Timely Diagnosis and Referral: Participants examined variations in diagnosis pathways across Europe, barriers to timely referral, access to specialist care, and opportunities to improve early diagnosis and treatment decision-making.
• Access to Treatment and Innovation: Discussions focused on access to approved therapies, reimbursement challenges, availability of molecular testing, and participation in clinical trials. Participants shared experiences of both successful approaches and ongoing barriers to innovation across different healthcare systems.
• Psychosocial Support and Quality of Life: A significant part of the Roundtable focused on the emotional, psychological, and social impact of living with CLL. Participants explored the needs of patients, families, and carers, and highlighted the importance of integrating psychosocial support into routine care.
• Infection Management and Immune Health: Recognising that immune dysfunction is a central feature of CLL, participants discussed infection prevention, vaccination, supportive care, and the need for greater awareness of immune health within both clinical practice and policy discussions.
• Data, Evidence and Policy: Participants highlighted the growing importance of patient-generated evidence, registries, real-world data, and collaborative advocacy in supporting policy change and improving healthcare decision-making.

What We Learned

Several important themes emerged consistently throughout the discussions.

• Persistent Inequalities Across Europe: Despite major progress in treatment outcomes, significant inequalities remain in access to diagnostics, innovative therapies, clinical trials, supportive care, and psychosocial services.
• Access to Innovation Remains Uneven: While some countries provide rapid access to modern therapies and clinical trials, others continue to face substantial delays and structural barriers.
• Psychosocial Support Remains a Major Gap: One of the strongest messages from the Roundtable was that psychosocial and survivorship support remains one of the least developed aspects of CLL care across Europe, including in countries with otherwise strong healthcare systems.
• Education and Awareness Are Essential: Participants highlighted the need for improved education and awareness among patients, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the wider public.
• Patient Voices Must Remain Central: The lived experiences of people affected by CLL should continue to guide future policy development, advocacy initiatives, research priorities, and service improvements.
• Collaboration Drives Progress: Participants agreed that stronger collaboration between patient organisations, clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and industry partners will be essential to reducing inequalities and improving outcomes across Europe.

An Annual European Platform for Change

The ECLLA European Policy Roundtable is intended to become ECLLA’s annual flagship policy and advocacy event.

Each year, the Roundtable will provide an opportunity to:

• Review progress towards more equitable CLL care across Europe
• Identify emerging challenges and opportunities
• Share examples of good practice and innovation
• Strengthen collaboration between stakeholders
• Develop evidence-based recommendations for policymakers and healthcare systems
• Ensure that the patient voice remains central to future discussions

By creating a recurring forum for dialogue and collaboration, ECLLA aims to build a sustainable European movement focused on reducing inequalities, improving quality of life, and advancing patient-centred care.

From Discussion to Action

The Roundtable is not simply a forum for discussion. It serves as the starting point for a broader programme of European advocacy, policy development, education, and collaboration. Insights generated through the Roundtable will directly inform several major ECLLA initiatives.

1. ECLLA Policy Brief 2026 – A policy-focused publication outlining key challenges, opportunities, and recommendations for improving CLL care across Europe.
2. European CLL Equity Declaration – A shared advocacy framework calling for more equitable access to diagnosis, treatment, clinical trials, supportive care, and patient-centred services.
3. ECLLA CLL Access Observatory – A planned long-term initiative designed to monitor inequalities, track progress, and generate evidence on access to CLL care across Europe.

Together, these initiatives will strengthen evidence-based advocacy and support a coordinated European approach to reducing disparities in CLL care.