Olubukola Ayodele, Co-Convenor (Co-Chair) of London Global Cancer Week, shared on LinkedIn:
“London Global Cancer Week 2026, Day 2 recap: What does equitable cancer care really require?
I had the pleasure of attending 3 of the events scheduled for the 3rd of November. Three perspectives on global oncology. One recurring question: ‘How do we ensure progress in cancer care reaches everyone?’
1. Global Power of Oncology Nursing (GPON)
The day began with a webinar organised by Prof Annie Young and fellow oncology nurses, highlighting the vital role of nursing leadership in strengthening cancer services.
Naomi Oyoe Ohene shared the impact of training and partnerships in Ghana and across Africa, including specialist education and leadership development.
We cannot build stronger cancer systems without investing in the people who deliver care. Oncology nurses must have a voice in shaping those systems.
2. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, U. of London: CONCORD-4
Next was The Lancet Group launch and presentation of CONCORD-4 cancer survival surveillance chaired by Vania Wisdom and Richard Horton (Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet). The CONCORD-4 team led by Claudia Allemani, Michel Coleman and Veronica Di Carlo.
The scale of the programme is remarkable: data from millions of patients, allowing comparisons of cancer survival across countries and over time. But the inequalities are striking, and the limited representation of African countries raises another concern: “How do we address disparities when so many populations remain invisible in our data?” Cancer Survival Group (CSG)
Cancer registries are not an optional extra. Without reliable survival data, we cannot properly measure progress or hold health systems accountable.
3. London School of Economics and Political Science: Financing Equitable Cancer Care
The session, chaired by Ms Rachel Hargest (Co-Director of Global Surgery Policy Unit) tackled difficult questions about cancer financing, universal health coverage and corruption. It was a pleasure to have Dr Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, the current Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) President give a passionate keynote address at the start of the meeting.
Prof Robert Yates argued for public financing; Prof Dina Balabanova highlighted how corruption and weak governance can undermine access to care. Prof richard rainsbury shared lessons from a long-term breast cancer partnership in Zimbabwe.
More money matters, but so does how it is allocated, governed and used to build lasting local capacity.
My reflections:
Today connected three essential parts of cancer equity: the workforce delivering care, the data telling us who survives, and the financing and governance determining who gets access.
We celebrate breakthroughs in oncology, rightly so. But innovation alone will not close the survival gap. We must invest just as seriously in people, cancer registries and accountable health systems.”
You can also read: London Global Cancer Week 2026: Highlights From November 2–4
