On site event
Big Questions During ESMO 2026
Overview
Event Highlights
- The Fragility of Clinical Evidence: When a promising trial collapses prematurely, the damage extends far beyond lost funding. We explore why critical studies fail to reach the finish line, how to salvage value from aborted trials, and what happens to the patients and investigators left in the wake.
- Redefining Approval Thresholds: Accelerated pathways, surrogate endpoints, and single-arm data have changed how drugs reach the market. But how much uncertainty is acceptable? The panel unpacks how regulators balance speed against safety, and how post-market evidence must evolve to fill the gaps.
- The Regulatory vs. Clinical Divide: A dataset that satisfies a regulatory agency doesn't always convince a practicing oncologist—or vice versa. We examine why different stakeholders draw contrasting conclusions from the exact same trial data, and how early cross-sector dialogue can align development with real-world care.
- Closing the "Approved vs. Available" Gap: Securing regulatory clearance is only half the battle. Reassessing health economics, regional reimbursement delays, and hospital formulary hurdles reveals why an effective treatment on paper remains out of reach at the bedside—and who must step up to fix it.
Date / Time
Oct 24, 2026 · 6:15 PM – 8:15 PM
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Scientific progress in oncology depends not only on discovering better treatments, but also on the decisions that determine which ideas move forward, which trials are funded, which studies continue or close, which medicines are approved, and whether those medicines ultimately reach patients.
These decisions are rarely made by one group alone.
Researchers generate the evidence. Trialists determine how it can be tested. Regulators decide whether the evidence is sufficient. Clinicians must translate approvals into practice. Policymakers and healthcare systems determine access. Foundations, patient organizations, academic institutions and industry also influence which questions receive attention, funding and resources.
Big Questions in Oncology, chaired by Prof. Jean-Yves Blay, brings these perspectives into one room during ESMO 2026.
Rather than a series of formal lectures, the session is built around an open panel discussion on some of the questions that shape modern oncology but are rarely discussed collectively.
The Questions We Want to Ask
- Who decides which research questions should be funded?
- How do we decide when a clinical trial should continue, change direction or close?
- What happens when scientifically important questions are not commercially attractive?
- How much evidence should be enough to change clinical practice?
- Why do some promising treatments struggle to move from research into routine care?
- What happens between regulatory approval and real access for patients?
- How should limited resources be distributed across cancer research, treatment and healthcare systems?
- And, ultimately, who benefits from the decisions we make — and who may be left behind?
One Table. Different Perspective
Big Questions brings together clinicians, clinical trialists, researchers, policymakers, regulators, patient advocates, foundations and other leaders involved in cancer research and care.
The purpose is not to produce predetermined answers. It is to understand how different parts of the oncology ecosystem approach the same decisions, where priorities align, where they differ, and what can be learned by discussing them openly.
The Format
No traditional lecture programme. No long slide presentations.
The session will be centred on a moderated, two-hour discussion between the faculty, with dedicated time for questions and participation from the audience.
Because some of the most important questions in oncology cannot be answered from only one side of the table.
Presenters
Prof. Jean-Yves Blay, MD, PhD
Professor Jean-Yves Blay is the General Director of the Centre Léon Bérard and President of Unicancer, the French Federation of Comprehensive Cancer Centres. A world-renowned medical oncologist and Professor at Claude Bernard University Lyon 1, he is a leading authority in the research and treatment of sarcomas, gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), and rare adult solid cancers.
Beyond his executive leadership, Prof. Blay directs the European Reference Network for Rare Adult Solid Cancers (EURACAN) and serves as the network leader for NETSARC+. He is a past President of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and has published extensively on precision oncology, targeted therapies, and cancer policy.
Julie R. Gralow, MD, FACP, FASCO
Julie R. Gralow is the Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). A distinguished breast medical oncologist, she is Professor Emerita of Medical Oncology and Global Health at the University of Washington School of Medicine. In her executive role at ASCO, Dr. Gralow serves as a public spokesperson and oversees ASCO’s Center for Research and Analytics (CENTRA), Policy and Advocacy Department, and Center for Global Impact.
Previously, Dr. Gralow served as Executive Officer for Breast and Lung Cancer and Vice Chair of the Breast Cancer Committee for the SWOG Cancer Clinical Trials Network. Deeply committed to improving quality of life and access to care, she is the co-founder of Team Survivor Northwest, supporting female cancer survivors through fitness, and founder of the Women’s Empowerment Cancer Advocacy Network (WE CAN) to foster advocacy in low- and middle-income countries.
Martha Raymond, MA
Founder and CEO of The Raymond Foundation and Founding Executive Director of the GI Cancers Alliance. A dedicated patient advocate for over four decades, she specializes in program development, patient navigation, and caregiver support across academia, healthcare, and global advocacy organizations. Her work focuses on integrating patient-reported outcomes across clinical, academic, and industry settings to elevate the patient voice throughout the care continuum.
Martha holds advanced graduate certifications in Palliative Care, Hospice Counseling, Patient Navigation, and Integrative Medicine, and has co-authored research in major peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Partnership Opportunities
Partnership & Collaboration Opportunities
Shushan Hovsepyan
Senior Vice President, OncoDaily
Email: shushan.hovsepyan@oncodaily.com
Phone: +1 571 775 9710
Event-Related Inquiries
Inessa Mkhitaryan
Head of Global Events, OncoDaily
Email: inessa.mkhitaryan@oncodaily.com
General Inquiries
Email: info@oncodaily.com
Presenters
Prof. Jean-Yves Blay, MD, PhD
Professor Jean-Yves Blay is the General Director of the Centre Léon Bérard and President of Unicancer, the French Federation of Comprehensive Cancer Centres. A world-renowned medical oncologist and Professor at Claude Bernard University Lyon 1, he is a leading authority in the research and treatment of sarcomas, gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), and rare adult solid cancers.
Beyond his executive leadership, Prof. Blay directs the European Reference Network for Rare Adult Solid Cancers (EURACAN) and serves as the network leader for NETSARC+. He is a past President of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and has published extensively on precision oncology, targeted therapies, and cancer policy.
Julie R. Gralow, MD, FACP, FASCO
Julie R. Gralow is the Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). A distinguished breast medical oncologist, she is Professor Emerita of Medical Oncology and Global Health at the University of Washington School of Medicine. In her executive role at ASCO, Dr. Gralow serves as a public spokesperson and oversees ASCO’s Center for Research and Analytics (CENTRA), Policy and Advocacy Department, and Center for Global Impact.
Previously, Dr. Gralow served as Executive Officer for Breast and Lung Cancer and Vice Chair of the Breast Cancer Committee for the SWOG Cancer Clinical Trials Network. Deeply committed to improving quality of life and access to care, she is the co-founder of Team Survivor Northwest, supporting female cancer survivors through fitness, and founder of the Women’s Empowerment Cancer Advocacy Network (WE CAN) to foster advocacy in low- and middle-income countries.
Martha Raymond, MA
Founder and CEO of The Raymond Foundation and Founding Executive Director of the GI Cancers Alliance. A dedicated patient advocate for over four decades, she specializes in program development, patient navigation, and caregiver support across academia, healthcare, and global advocacy organizations. Her work focuses on integrating patient-reported outcomes across clinical, academic, and industry settings to elevate the patient voice throughout the care continuum.
Martha holds advanced graduate certifications in Palliative Care, Hospice Counseling, Patient Navigation, and Integrative Medicine, and has co-authored research in major peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Partnership Opportunities
Partnership & Collaboration Opportunities
Shushan Hovsepyan
Senior Vice President, OncoDaily
Email: shushan.hovsepyan@oncodaily.com
Phone: +1 571 775 9710
Event-Related Inquiries
Inessa Mkhitaryan
Head of Global Events, OncoDaily
Email: inessa.mkhitaryan@oncodaily.com
General Inquiries
Email: info@oncodaily.com
