1. Names and aims of the group

A) The name of the working group is “European Thyroid Association – Cancer Group” (ETA-CG).

B) The aims of the group are
a. To promote clinical and basic research in the field of thyroid cancer and to improve knowledge of this disease.
b. To organise annual meetings as a satellite symposium to the annual ETA meeting or elsewhere.
c. To organise postgraduate courses in thyroid carcinoma.
d. To promote the activities related to thyroid cancer together in connection with ETA.
e. To engage in the liaison with other medical societies and medical specialities to promote the best standard of care in the integral address of thyroid cancer’s patients.

C) The working group shall provide a report of group activities at the Annual ETA Meeting and will also report to the ETA president and ETA ExCom.

The working group shall be active in stimulating multidisciplinary activities in thyroid cancer research and patient care. A programme for this ambition should be worked out.

2. Membership of the group

is confined to persons who are active in experimental and clinical investigation of thyroid cancer and with residence or place of work within Europe or any country bordering the Mediterranean Sea, as well as other countries accepted by the ETA as membership countries.

Any medical doctor or researcher interested to become a member should fill out the application form and send it to ETA-CG and by this will be informed on all ETA-CG activities and have priority access to ETA-CG meetings. It will become a member of ETA-CG pending of approval in the annual Assembly Meeting.

ETA-CG membership applications should be sent to: Susanne Rothe, ETA Standing Office, rothe@endoscience.de.
An application form is available here (PDF).

In general ETA-CG members are encouraged to become ETA members. However, due to our mission to liaise with any medical speciality related to thyroid cancer, this is not compulsory. It is required to become an Ordinary ETA member to be entitled to voting for the ETA-CG Executive Board.

3. ETA-CG Executive Board

A) The officers of the ETA-CG Executive Board are the Group Leader, the Secretary, the Treasurer and four Board Members.

B) The Group Leader is elected by the Ordinary ETA/ETA-CG members attending the annual ETA-CG Assembly Meeting at the end of the annual workshop. The Group leader shall serve for a three year period and is eligible for immediate re-election for a further period.

C) The Secretary is elected by the Ordinary ETA/ETA-CG members attending the annual ETA-CG Assembly Meeting at the end of the annual workshop. The Secretary shall serve for a five year period.

D) The Treasurer is elected by the Ordinary ETA/ETA-CG members attending the annual ETA-CG Assembly Meeting at the end of the annual workshop. The treasurer shall serve for a five year period.

F) The four Board Members are elected by the Ordinary ETA/ETA-CG members attending the annual ETA-CG Assembly Meeting at the end of the annual workshop. The board members shall serve for a period of two years and can be re-elected once.

G) Candidates for the ETA-CG Committee may be proposed by any ETA-CG member, however only Ordinary ETA/ETA-CG member are entitled to voting.

H) If no General Assembly Meeting takes place at the end of the 2 or 5- year serving period of the ETA-CG Executive Board, the elections take place at the next Annual ETA-CG Assembly Meeting.

I) The ETA-CG Executive Board is enabled to establish sub-committees to work on specific topics related to thyroid cancer.

4. Workshops

ETA-CG shall organise at least one annual workshop on thyroid cancer. The annual workshop will try to include all three aspects of our mission: clinical, translational and basic issues related to one specific type of thyroid cancer. The date, place and format of the workshop shall be proposed by the ETA-CG Executive Board and agreed with the ETA. Ideally, the ETA-CG symposium and annual ETA-CG Assembly Meeting would take place in close connection with the Annual Meeting of the European Thyroid Association (ETA).

5. Assembly meeting

Generally an ETA-CG Assembly Meeting will be organized annually at the end of the annual workshop and will include voting for new ETA-CG Executive Board members after:
1. Three year serving period of ETA-CG Group Leader
2. Two year serving period of ETA-CG Board Members
2. Five-year serving period of Secretary and Treasurer

At least 2 months before the voting, the ETA-CG secretary will send calls per email to all ETA-CG members to ask for candidate proposals. Proposals must be sent to the ETA-CG Secretary four weeks before the annual assembly meeting at the latest. Proposals are subsequently viewed and approved by the ETA-CG Committee. Candidates are then informed of their nomination and asked to provide a CV for presentation at the annual ETA-CGAssembly Meeting.

All ETA-CG Members are invited to attend the annual ETA-CG Assembly Meeting, however only Ordinary ETA/ETA-CG members are entitled to voting.

The following topics will be part of the annual ETA-CG Assembly Meeting:
1. Voting for new ETA-CG Executive Board members
2. Report of ETA-CG Executive Board
3. Report of audit on ETA-CG account
4. Resolution of audited account
5. Resolution of ETA-CG Executive Board
6. Voting on ETA-CG Executive Board proposals
7. Approval of new members
8. Discussion on ETA-CG projects and annual workshop topics

5. Membership fees

There is no ETA-CG membership fee. If needed, a fee for the annual ETA-CG meeting to cover catering, travel expenses of invited speakers, and maintance of website should be proposed by the ETA-CG Executive Board Treasurer and should be agreed during the annual Assembly Meeting.

6. Annual accounts

The annual accounts shall be submitted to two auditors, elected among the Ordinary ETA/ETA-CG members. The accounts shall be approved at the annual Assembly Meeting.

7. Amendments to the rules

The rules may be amended by a two-third vote of ETA-CG members present at the annual Assembly Meeting. Notice in writing of a proposed amendment must be sent, at least 2 months in advance to the Secretary, who will by letter notify all ETA-CG members of the proposed amendment. Votes for amendments agreed during the ETA-CG Assembly Meeting will be forwarded by the Secretary to the ETA president and ETA ExCom for approval.