The International Rare Cancers Initiative.

e17504 Background: Together, rare cancers account for more than 20% of all cancer diagnoses. Patients with rare cancers face particular challenges, including late or incorrect diagnosis and difficulties accessing clinical expertise and appropriate treatments. Furthermore, undertaking clinical studies is challenging because of the small number of patients. Unfortunately, the average outcome for patients with a rare cancer is therefore worse than that of patients with more common cancers. In an attempt to address these issues, the International Rare Cancers Initiative (IRCI) was established in 2011. Methods: IRCI is a joint initiative between the National Institute for Health Research Cancer Research Network (NCRN), Cancer Research UK (CRUK), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and the Institut National du Cancer (INCa). IRCI organises meetings to facilitate the development of international clinical trials for patients with rare cancers ...