Strategy & Commitment

The Unicancer network is mobilised each day so patients can receive the best treatments and experience optimal quality-of-life, during and after cancer. Unicancer is a driving force for cooperation and for the development of our healthcare system. All over France, our healthcare centres offer accessible, high quality and cutting-edge solutions to all patients.

Our strategy

Unicancer is following a strategic programme, which establishes the areas for development shared by all French comprehensive cancer centres (Fccs), and is based on three priority pillars:

The patient, co-pilot of their care

The concept of “patient experience” is essential to ensure that each patient is considered not only in relation to his or her pathology, but as a person in his or her own right.
With the aim of providing truly comprehensive care, we are developing our practices by placing the patient at the core. Welcoming more than 600,000 patients each year, the professionals in Fcccs take into account their experience and feedback to optimise their healthcare pathway and their treatment.

Fcccs at the forefront in the fight against cancer

As key players in the healthcare sector, each Centre shares its specific and complementary expertise within the Unicancer network, to remain at the cutting edge of research and to rapidly provide innovations for the benefit of patients. Thanks to their governance model, which combines flexibility and responsiveness, they are committed to an exclusive public service and participate in the evolution of national health organisations and systems.
We contribute to defining the professions of tomorrow: our network offers healthcare professionals a comprehensive training programme, a strong university base, as well as the possibility of combining, very early in their career, healthcare, research and teaching missions.

An expert network that operates on a regional basis

Unicancer is a key player in the organisation of the fight against cancer, combining both proximity and international reach. Covering the entire national territory, our network ensures local care for all patients wherever they live in France. As private, not-for-profit health centres with strong links to their region, Fcccs are made up of highly qualified and specialised teams who provide quality cancer treatment.
By working actively with the other healthcare and research stakeholders at national and international level, they contribute to changing practices and promoting French excellence. On a daily basis, our professionals facilitate patient access to innovative therapies by optimising existing therapeutic strategies, including them in clinical trials and giving them access to state-of-the-art equipment such as proton therapy and tomotherapy.

Our vision

Our local, national and international presence means that we can be complementary and work actively with all the other healthcare players. Our unique model of care and governance is helping to lead the way and accelerate the changes needed in our health system.

As advocates for cross-disciplinary oncology excellence in care, research and education, we aim to build a fertile ground for the next generation of researchers and health professionals.

COVID-19 health crisis

Throughout the current pandemic crisis, the entire Unicancer network swung into action, and remained responsive, to ensure continuing care and to guarantee the safety of patients and staff in the context of the fight against COVID-19. Our Purchasing and innovation access department played an essential role so that each Centres could focus on facing the health crisis, by enabling them to adapt very rapidly to the new context, to prevent supply shortages and to deliver the first PCR tests to all centres.

Optimal management of patients in oncology remains our priority in order to prevent loss of chance in this health crisis situation. For more detailed information about medical recommendations and organisation, please contact the French Comprehensive Cancer Centre in your area.

Our press releases on the Covid-19 crisis (in French):

• 21th April 2021: Les Centres de lutte contre le cancer se mobilisent pour assurer la continuité des soins en cancérologie, vacciner les patients et professionnels de santé et renforcer les connaissances en matière de recherche « Covid et cancer ».
• 10th November 2020: Les Centres de Lutte contre le Cancer poursuivent leurs modifications d’organisation pour garantir la continuité des soins pour les patients pris en charge et promouvoir le dépistage et le diagnostic.
• 23th April 2020: Prime aux professionnels de santé : un signal fort doit être adressé à l’ensemble du monde de la santé.
• 22th April 2020: Alerte sur le renoncement aux soins
• 17th April 2020: Le réseau Unicancer mobilisé sur la prise en charge sans délais des cancers malgré l’épidémie COVID-19 afin d’anticiper la fin du confinement.
• 17th March 2020: COVID-19 : les préconisations d’Unicancer pour la prise en charge de patients atteints de cancer.
• 15th March 2020: Recommandations Unicancer relatives à l’infection COVID-19 chez les patients atteints de cancers.
• 13th March 2020: L’ensemble du réseau Unicancer se mobilise pour traiter les patients dans le contexte de la lutte contre le coronavirus.

Research programmes within the Unicancer network:

In France, the Unicancer network has been a forerunner in research about the links between cancer and COVID-19:

• ONCOVID-19: led by the Centre Léon Bérard and including all Unicancer FCCCs, this study aims to collect as many data as possible on the illness triggered by COVID-19 in cancer patients, in order to assess the risk of infection-related complications in this population. Find out more
• Immunoncovid-20:  this academic, randomised, multicentric trial, also led by Centre Léon Bérard, aims to evaluate the efficacy of three treatments against COVID-19 in cancer patients: a chloroquine derivative (GNS651); anti-PD-1 nivolumab immunotherapy; and anti-IL-6 tocilizumab. This modular trial provides for the introduction of new immunotherapy arms. Find out more
• ONCOVID: sponsored by Gustave Roussy, this trial aims to determine the prevalence and incidence over three months of SARS-CoV-2 in patients with cancer and to evaluate the rate of mortality from COVID-19 disease in cancer patients; several treatment arms including one based on the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin are being studied. Find out more
• SCANcovPCR: this study, led by Gustave Roussy, aims to evaluate the diagnostic performances of the chest CT-scan in the event of discordance between a clinical picture suggesting COVID-19 and a negative RT-PCR test, in a population of patients in oncology and oncohaematology. Find out more
• CORIMMUNO-19: this study, a collaboration between AP-HP and Gustave Roussy, is intended to evaluate immunotherapy treatments presenting the best benefit/risk for persons hospitalised for COVID-19. In particular, tocilizumab and sarilumab, two interleukin 6 inhibitors.
• EVIDENCE: led by Unicancer R&D and Institut Curie, this study aims to determine the ability of positive serodiagnostics to predict the absence of occurrence of a new symptomatic episode attributable to the SARS CoV 2 virus and therefore to offer a return to standard care for positive persons, while minimising the risks.
• LEAF-4L7520: phase II trial, testing the efficacy of LEAF-4L7520 in patients in respiratory distress with COVID-19, managed by Centre Paul Strauss and the ICANS in Strasbourg. Find out more
• PAPESCO-19: study which aims to compile a clinical-serological database for describing the number and severity of COVID-19 infections and to explore the humoral immune response to COVID-19 in staff and patients. French cancer centres involved: Centre Jean-Perrin, Institut de cancérologie de Lorraine, Centre Henri-Becquerel. Find out more