Abstract committee and themes
The programme has been built across six themes and is overseen by a group of influential international experts.
Full Spectrum
The six themes form the foundation through which the global cancer community is invited to develop a range of innovative, interactive sessions that span the entire continuum of cancer control. Several cross‑cutting elements connect these themes, including equity, patient perspective, leadership and sustainable impact.
David
Hill
Professor David Hill PhD, MD (hon), DSc (hon) is a behavioural scientist who served as CEO of the Cancer Council Victoria (Australia) from 2002 to 2011, and as President of UICC from 2008 to 2010. He was founding Director of the Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer between 1986 and 2002. He has authored or co-authored over 200 peer reviewed scientific articles, books and book chapters in the medical, public health and psychological literature. His published work includes research on the prevalence of adolescent and adult smoking, strategies for smoking cessation, reduction of smoking uptake, smoking regulation, behavioural aspects of cancer screening, monitoring trends in skin cancer prevention, and exploring determinants of behaviours related to skin cancer prevention and psychosocial aspects of the cancer experience.
He has professorial appointments at the University of Melbourne and University of Newcastle (Australia) and was made an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) for his contributions in the field of cancer control.
Christopher
Jackson
Professor Christopher Jackson is a medical oncologist, academic, and health-system leader with a strong international profile in cancer policy, research, and clinical leadership. Based in Ōtepoti Dunedin, New Zealand, he combines an active subspecialty clinical practice in gastrointestinal cancers and melanoma with senior leadership roles spanning national cancer control, global oncology, and medical education.
He is Professor of Oncology at the University of Otago and Deputy Dean of the Dunedin School of Medicine, where he contributes to undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, clinical research supervision, and academic leadership. His clinical practice is based at Dunedin Hospital and Mercy Cancer Care.
Professor Jackson is Co-Lead of the Cancer National Clinical Network for Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand, providing national clinical leadership across systemic anticancer therapy (SACT). In this role, he leads programmes focused on improving equity of access, consistency and quality of cancer medicines, reducing treatment waiting times, strengthening service organisation, and implementing new models of cancer care across New Zealand.
From 2015 to 2021, he served as Medical Director of the Cancer Society of New Zealand. During this period, he played a key advocacy and advisory role in the development of the New Zealand Cancer Action Plan and the establishment of the national Cancer Control Agency, Te Aho o Te Kahu.
Internationally, Professor Jackson is a Board Member of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and a Programme Board member of the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership (ICBP). He is a founding leader of the Common Sense Oncology movement, promoting patient-centred, evidence-based, and sustainable cancer care globally. He has previously served on ASCO’s Asia-Pacific Regional Council and is currently a member of the Editorial Board of JCO Global Oncology. He is an active member of ASCO, ESMO, and the Australasian Gastro-Intestinal Trials Group.
His research interests span health systems and health policy, clinical trials and drug development, translational research, and cancer care quality measurement. He works closely with governments, international organisations, research groups, and clinical networks to translate evidence into equitable, high-quality cancer care at scale.
Rina
Hui
Rina Hui is a Clinical Professor and the Director of the Centre of Cancer Medicine at the University of Hong Kong. She has a clinical and research focus on breast and lung cancers. Rina also serves as a member of the Senate, a member of the Honorary Fellowships Committee and chairs the Committee of Discontinuation at the University of Hong Kong. Rina is a steering committee member of the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Registry and a council member of the Hong Kong Cancer Therapy Society. After completing her medical degree at The University of Sydney and specialist training at the Royal North Shore Hospital, Rina undertook translational research in cyclin D1-CDK4/6-p16INK4a-pRb pathway in breast cancer at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and was awarded a PhD degree. Before joining HKU in January 2023, Rina was a Clinical Professor at the University of Sydney and a Senior Medical Oncologist at Westmead Hospital, Australia. She previously served as Co-chair of Oncology Block at the Sydney Medical School, the University of Sydney and served in the written examination committee for the Royal Australasian College of Physician. She was the Head of Clinical Trials at the Westmead Breast Cancer Institute, a member of the clinical advisory board and research advisory committee of the Westmead Breast Cancer Institute, a member of the Medical Oncology Group of Australia Expert Group for lung cancer, a member of the Basic Sciences of Oncology Course Subject Matter Expert Group. Rina serves on the Education Committee for International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) and was a member of the scientific program committee for European Society of Medical Oncology Congress in 2021 and 2022. Rina has been principal investigator on many clinical trials, including phase I as well as many landmark practice-changing phase III clinical studies of immunotherapy and targeted therapies in breast and lung cancers, resulting in publications in highly ranked journals.
World Cancer Congress Abstract Committee Theme Co-Chairs
Theme 1: Prevention, screening and early detection
The programme in this theme will explore primary prevention, including major risk factors, health promotion, examples of best practices in new evidence-based prevention strategies, and vaccines. Exposure to environmental risk factors and unhealthy environments will be included, as well as new areas of development in policy, programme management, communications, and education.
- Risk stratification
- Artificial intelligence in cancer screening
- Multicancer early detection tests (MCED)
- Vaccines
- Prevention in high-risk groups
- Successful health promotion and cancer prevention
- Advocacy and partnerships
- Blood tests
- Effective policies for cancer prevention
- Economics of prevention
- Imaging and endoscopy
- Media and communications
- Regulation
- Major cancer risk factors
- Alcohol and cancer
- Diet, weight and physical activity
- Ultraprocessed foods and cancer
- UV and cancer
- Environment and workplace
- Air pollution and cancer
- Tobacco and cancer (please refer to the Tobacco Control theme)
- Prevention and cancer inequalities
- Health literacy
- Access to information and programmes
Theme 2: Cancer research and progress
The programme in this theme will be curated to highlight recent scientific and clinical advances in aetiology, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, with a particular focus on post-pandemic recovery. What lessons were learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and what research was done to help cancer health systems regain lost ground and strengthen provision to address the cancer burden in the future? What practices were implemented during the pandemic and what evidence was collected to support modifying the delivery of care? What new modalities or treatment algorithms were proven to have greater efficacy or effectiveness and could have an enduring legacy to overcome inequalities and inequities in cancer care. Topics in these sessions will showcase scientific, translational, clinical, and technological advancements alongside Implementation science and behavioural research.
- Artificial intelligence/deep learning/big data
- Precision oncology (targeted therapies and genomics, matching treatment to the patient and tumour)
- Advances in clinical trial design (pragmatic, patient-centric, decentralised)
- Optimising cancer treatment in older populations (geriatric oncology)
- Progress in cancer treatment – systemic therapies, radiation, surgery
- Treatment-related adverse events and management - Measuring impact of treatment on the patient - PROs/QoL
- Palliative care and end of life research
- Telemedicine and remote medicine and monitoring (including remote treatment planning, virtual tumour boards, etc)
- Implementation science and advancing evidence-based projects to scale
- Behavioural research
Theme 3: Healthcare systems and policies
This theme adds value by channeling intellectual effort, collaborations, access to shared resources to stimulate dialogue about implementing global commitments at a national level, as well as strengthen national, regional and local health systems and guiding quality improvement across different aspects of sustainable development, policy and planning, infrastructure, measurement, reporting and performance.
- UHC and making cancer care funding sustainable
- Access to cancer medicine and technology
- Harnessing data for better health outcomes
- Building cancer information systems
- Monitoring and evaluation of efficiency and quality of cancer care
- Using technology to drive cancer control and access to care
- Delivering quality cancer care services, including building the cancer workforce
- Patient navigation system
- Political, legislative and regulatory system barriers and solutions to enhance cancer control
- Health systems research relevant to cancer
- Partnerships for better cancer control and care policies: advancing SDG17
Theme 4: Cancer treatment and palliative care
This theme will examine novel interventions to support patient engagement and survivorship in a variety of cancer care delivery settings. It focuses on patient experience and quality of outcome, exploring patient and family engagement, wrestles with rights and expectations of cancer patients and their families and the challenges of access, fairness and consistency of experience and care. It will explore the role of complimentary therapies, identify experiences with alternative treatments and invite challenging discussions about balance of investment and patient power. It invites exploration of measurement issues, prioritisation of service delivery, communication skills of health care professionals, and tools to drive health care facility culture and survivorship. Fundamental questions around palliative care, pain relief and end-of-life issues will be discussed.
- Overcoming barriers to palliative care globally
- Universal Health Coverage and advocacy for palliative care
- Measuring outcomes in palliative care (clinical, organisational, utilisation, national progress)
- Access to essential palliative care and cancer treatment medicines
- Integration of palliative and oncology care for adults and children
- Improving and standardising education and training in palliative care
- Health workforce issues in palliative care
- Clinical guideline development in oncology and palliative care for improved symptom management
- Policy development in palliative care
- Palliative care in primary care
- Implementation of palliative care in resource-limited settings
- Sustainable financing for palliative care
- Patient and caregiver perspectives on palliative needs
- Building capacity in oncology and palliative care for adolescents and young adults
Theme 5: Tobacco control
This theme will examine the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) and its guidelines, providing the foundation for countries to implement and manage tobacco control.
- Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies
Data are necessary to implement and evaluate effective tobacco control policies. Only through accurate measurement of the tobacco epidemic and of the interventions to control it can those interventions be effectively managed and improved. Good monitoring provides policy-makers with information about the extent of the epidemic in a country and how to tailor policies to the needs of different groups. Disseminating the information broadly and effectively gives all stakeholders a clearer picture of the epidemic and provides advocates for tobacco control with important evidence to bolster the case for stronger policies.
- Protect people from exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke
All people have a right to breathe clean air. There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke, which causes heart disease, cancer and many other diseases. Even brief exposure can cause serious damage. Smoke-free legislation is popular wherever it is enacted, and these laws do not harm business. Any country, regardless of income level, can implement effective smoke-free legislation. Only a total ban on smoking in public places, including all indoor workplaces, protects people from the harms of second-hand smoke, helps smokers quit and reduces youth smoking. Guidelines to Article 8 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control help countries know exactly what to do to protect their people from second-hand smoke.
- Offer help to quit tobacco use
The more than one billion smokers worldwide who are addicted to tobacco are victims of the tobacco epidemic. When informed of the risks, most tobacco users want to quit, but few get help and support to overcome their dependence. Health-care systems have primary responsibility for treating tobacco dependence. Programmes should include tobacco cessation advice incorporated into primary health-care services, easily accessible and free telephone help lines (known as quit lines), and access to low-cost medicines. All health-care workers should become advocates for tobacco control. Governments can use some tobacco tax revenues to help tobacco users free themselves from addiction.
- Warn about the dangers of tobacco
Few tobacco users understand the full extent of their health risk. Health warnings on tobacco packaging reach all smokers and cost governments nothing. As laid out in guidelines to Article 11 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, warnings should appear on both the front and back of the packaging and be large and clear and describe specific illnesses caused by tobacco. Pictures of disease have a greater impact than words alone. In addition, anti-tobacco advertisements can publicise tobacco’s dangers. Use of graphic images demonstrating the harm of tobacco use can be especially effective in convincing users to quit. In addition to paid advertising, reaching out to the news media can effectively and inexpensively disseminate anti-tobacco messaging.
- Enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
The tobacco industry spends tens of billions of dollars worldwide each year on advertising, promotion and sponsorship. A total ban on direct and indirect advertising, promotion and sponsorship, as provided in guidelines to Article 13 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, can substantially reduce tobacco consumption and protect people, particularly youths, from industry marketing tactics. To be effective, bans must be complete and apply to all marketing categories. Otherwise, the industry merely redirects resources to nonregulated marketing channels. The tobacco industry strongly opposes such comprehensive bans because they are effective in reducing tobacco use.
- Raise taxes on tobacco
Increasing the price of tobacco through higher taxes is the single most effective way to encourage tobacco users to quit and prevent children from starting to smoke. Taxes on inexpensive tobacco products should be equivalent to higher-priced products, such as premium-brand cigarettes, to prevent substitution in consumption. Taxes need to be increased regularly to correct for inflation and consumer purchasing power. Tobacco taxes are generally well accepted by the public and raise government revenues. Allocating tax revenues for tobacco control and other important health and social programmes further increases their popularity.
Theme 6: People with lived experience
This theme aims to integrate patient voices through experiences and best practice sharing. Here we examine the critical role of patient support programmes and the organisation of patient support groups. This includes the specific challenges met in developing and maintaining activities for patients, their relatives and caregivers.
Patient voices
We are looking for case studies highlighting experiences and best practices sharing regarding the engagement of patients and caregivers and the representation of their perspectives in all phases of the cancer control process, from advocacy and awareness-raising to patient-centred healthcare systems. The case studies can also cover community-based interventions, mobilisation of patients and survivors as well the representation of the diversity of patient voices as a critical aspect of the improvement of cancer prevention and control at the local, regional and global levels.
Examples:
- Patient advocacy - guidelines
- Patient communication, date and medical information - including in the digital era
- Educational needs of the patient community
- Opportunities for collaboration amongst patients (programmes, online platforms...)
- Cultural sensitivities and stigma
- New models for community mobilisation and engagement
Survivorship and patient support
Patient support programmes are playing a critical role in assisting cancer patients and ensuring the quality of care along the cancer continuum. We are looking for sessions integrating the practical and psychosocial accompaniment of patients and caregivers to ensure access to adapted care and improve patient outcomes, the quality of life and experience during and after the cancer journey. It also includes interventions dedicated to rehabilitation programmes for survivors.
Examples:
- Access to care
- Quality cancer care
- Patient navigation programmes
- Value in cancer care
- Drugs shortages, especially in LMICs
- Quality of life: when do we stop treating?
- Life after cancer
- Sexuality and cancer treatment
- Patients' financial considerations, including health insurance concerns
- Definition and measurement of patients' care expectations (service features, accessibility of information, environmental factors, equipment availability and functionality, etc.)
- The cancer journey for families of cancer patients
Organisational development
As organisations, patient support groups are facing specific challenges in terms of developing, maintaining and increasing their activities with a view to achieving their objectives and improving their impact on patients and caregivers. While patient groups are gaining in professionalism and expertise, they are also facing specific challenges such as a higher dependence on volunteerism, access to qualified support providers and increasing needs for expertise in fundraising and advocacy. We are looking for sessions integrating the successes and challenges of organisational aspects of patient support groups.
Examples:
- Organisational development of patient support groups: how does it workImpact of shrinking health care resources
- Innovative sustainable funding models within today’s limited budgets
- Navigating the legal and policy environments for patients and patient support groups
- Peer to peer support, especially at the leadership level
- Educational needs and training opportunities for patient support groups
- Educational needs of the professional oncology community
- Collaboration across patient support groups, across regions and across diseases
