On the occasion of International Clinical Trials Day, COMPASS highlights the essential role of clinical research in advancing more personalised, preventive and patient-centred cardio-oncology care across Europe.
Patients and survivors are at the centre of the COMPASS project, guiding the development of more personalised, preventive and connected cardio-oncology care pathways across Europe. Through a strong programme of clinical research combining multidisciplinary expertise, advanced technologies and patient-centred approaches, the project aims to improve how cardiovascular complications in cancer patients and survivors are predicted, detected and managed, helping translate scientific innovation into real clinical benefit.
On the occasion of International Clinical Trials Day, celebrated every year on 20 May, COMPASS highlights the essential role that clinical research plays in advancing healthcare and improving patients’ lives. The date commemorates the work of James Lind, who conducted one of the earliest recorded clinical trials in 1747, laying the foundations for modern evidence-based medicine.
Clinical trials and studies are essential research activities that help evaluate new treatments, technologies, diagnostic tools and approaches to patient care. Conducted by multidisciplinary teams of researchers, clinicians and healthcare professionals, they play a fundamental role in ensuring that medical innovations are safe, effective and beneficial for patients.
Today, clinical trials remain fundamental to medical progress and, specifically, research and innovation programmes, including initiatives such as the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI). They support the development of new treatments, diagnostic tools and healthcare technologies, while ensuring their safety, effectiveness and real-world clinical value.
Clinical research at the heart of COMPASS
From the conception of the project, clinical research and validation activities have been placed at the core of COMPASS, shaping both its scientific approach and its ambition to deliver tangible benefits for patients and healthcare systems.
Over the next five years, COMPASS will carry out a wide range of clinical research and validation activities across Europe. The project will combine prospective and retrospective studies, multicentre clinical cohorts and longitudinal monitoring programmes to improve the early detection and prediction of cardiotoxicity.
Across the project, these research activities will explore how advanced cardiac imaging, novel biomarkers, artificial intelligence and wearable technologies can support earlier detection of cardiovascular complications and more personalised follow-up strategies for cancer patients and survivors.
“We use experimental models of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity to test different imaging probes and assess whether new imaging modalities can be developed for the early detection of cardiotoxicity“, says Borja Ibáñez, scientific director of the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC), cardiologist at Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, and group leader at CIBERCV, who is involved in several projects.
Importantly, COMPASS seeks to integrate patient perspectives, quality of life considerations and real-world clinical needs into the future of cardio-oncology care. Through its research activities, the project aims not only to advance scientific knowledge, but also to support healthcare professionals in making more informed decisions and improving long-term outcomes for patients and survivors.
These activities will also contribute to the development and validation of more continuous and preventive approaches to cardiovascular care, helping identify patients who may benefit from closer monitoring during and after cancer treatment.
Building more personalised and connected care pathways
COMPASS will place a strong focus on long-term survivorship, contributing to research on cardiovascular health after cancer treatment and supporting the development of more sustainable and patient-centred monitoring and prevention pathways across Europe.
By bringing together clinical expertise, research, technology and patient perspectives, COMPASS aims to contribute to a more integrated approach to cardio-oncology care across Europe.
“Within COMPASS, CNIC is leading research activities focused on developing new risk scores to identify the likelihood of long-term cancer survivors experiencing cardiovascular events,” adds Borja Ibáñez. “We will compile international databases including around 100,000 patients to develop models capable of predicting cardiovascular risk. In addition, we will analyze the impact of immunotherapy on silent atherosclerosis as part of a complementary subproject“.
As Ibáñez highlights: “COMPASS represents an important opportunity to improve the long-term cardiovascular care of cancer survivors through a more integrated and preventive approach“.
In this context, on International Clinical Trials Day, COMPASS recognises the contribution of researchers, clinicians, patients and healthcare professionals involved in clinical research, whose work continues to drive innovation and improve lives across Europe.
