Founding members

The European Society of Surgical Oncology (ESSO)

The European Society of Surgical Oncology was established in 1981 to support its members in advancing the science and practice of surgical oncology for the benefit of cancer patients through a range of activities including education, research and leadership in multidisciplinary care. By facilitating the dissemination of knowledge and expertise, ESSO strives to ensure that the highest possible standard of surgical treatment is available to cancer patients throughout Europe.

The European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists (EUSOMA)

EUSOMA is a non-profit Society that promotes the multidisciplinary approach to breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. EUSOMA is committed in promoting interaction between all the health professionals involved in breast cancer care with the aim of ensuring that all patients with breast cancer have equitable access to high quality care delivered by multidisciplinary breast teams.

The Division of Breast Surgery of the European Board of Surgery of the UEMS (DBS)

The Division of Breast Surgery is part of the Section of Surgery of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS). The Division operates in close collaboration with the European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists (EUSOMA) and the European Society of Surgical Oncology (ESSO). The Division advises on issues related to training and professional practice in breast surgery in Europe, for the benefit of training in breast surgery and patient care.

The main objective of the Division is to promote and support the highest standard of care in breast surgery in Europe through high quality education, training and accreditation. For this the Division has a Curriculum and a Syllabus. The knowledge of the breast surgeons is evaluated and certified via the European Board of Surgery Qualifications (EBSQ) examinations in breast surgery, organised by the Division.

The European School of Oncology (ESO)

The European School of Oncology was founded by Umberto Veronesi and Laudomia Del Drago in 1982, with the aim of contributing to the reduction of deaths from cancer due to late diagnosis and/or inadequate treatment. By improving the skills of all health professionals dealing with cancer patients, ESO helps shorten the time needed to transfer knowledge from research centres to daily practice, combining advanced technology with humanism in care.
ESO’s mission is reflected in its motto “Learning to Care”, which emphasises the importance of the learning process, and the goal of caring for the patient in a holistic sense, in contrast to focusing purely on treating the disease.

The European Breast Cancer Research Association of Surgical Trialists (EUBREAST)

EUBREAST is a non-profit network of renowned oncological breast surgeons aiming at joining forces throughout Europe to accelerate scientific progress for the direct benefit of breast cancer patients. Researching less extensive approaches to breast cancer surgery in order to improve the quality of life of affected women is the purpose of EUBREAST.

The Central-Eastern European Breast Cancer Surgical Consortium (CEEBCSC)

The CEEBCSC is a common scientific and clinical platform of national institutes and departments from Hungary, Poland, Russian Federation, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, Armenia and Czech Republic. It was established in 2018 with the aim to increase the efficiency and speed of modernization of breast surgical care in countries of Central-Eastern Europe.

The Group for Reconstructive and Therapeutic Advancements (G.Re.T.A)

G.Re.T.A. was founded by Maurizio Bruno Nava and his fellows in May 2017. It was conceived to disseminate a new idea of oncoplastic breast surgery based on patients education, shared decision making, multilevel surgical skills (“the vertical breast surgeon”) and evidence based practice. Since its conception G.Re.T.A. has been dedicated to development of oncoplastic careers.