World Cancer Congress 2022: A hybrid event in Geneva

UICC is planning a hybrid Congress in 2022, combining on-site events with virtual elements, to take place in Geneva, Switzerland

The next World Cancer Congress (WCC) will be held in Geneva, Switzerland in 2022. UICC’s new President, Professor Anil D’Cruz, made this announcement at UICC’s virtual General Assembly on Tuesday 6th October.

UICC’s 2022 World Cancer Congress was originally scheduled to take place in Berlin and hosted by the German Cancer Society (Deutsche Krebsgesellschaft), in collaboration with other national partners. UICC and the German Cancer Society, however, have jointly decided to not organise such a large, international in-person gathering in Germany. Instead, UICC is now planning to prepare for a hybrid Congress in 2022 in Geneva, the home city of UICC, which will be a combination of on-site events with virtual elements such as webinars, podcasts and online presentations. 

“Geneva is home to many health and international organisations, including WHO, with whom UICC entertains close relations. This allows for an efficient coordination with speakers and more flexibility for staff in preparing a hybrid format for our 2022 Congress. In this way, we believe we will be able to adapt rapidly and up to the last minute to the evolution of the pandemic while still delivering a world class event.” 

– Prof Anil D’Cruz, President of UICC

UICC organises the World Cancer Congress every two years, each time taking the global event to a different UICC member country. Several thousand participants from more than 130 countries have attended the conferences in the past. They discussed the challenges and opportunities of the fight against cancer at the national, regional and international levels. The 2020 Congress was meant to take place in Oman this October and unfortunately had to be cancelled due to COVID-19. The previous Congress took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2018.

“The German Cancer Society and all partners involved would have certainly provided ideal conditions for the World Cancer Congress in Berlin and we would like to thank them for all their efforts. We look forward to welcoming the cancer community in Geneva, a global hub for health that undoubtedly provides the setting for an equally successful event fully adapted to the challenges that the current environment presents.”

– Dr Cary Adams, CEO of UICC