Invest in Health Policy: A Conversation with Professor Andreas Charalambous

In an engaging discussion with OncoDaily, Professor Andreas Charalambous, a globally recognized leader in oncology and palliative care, shared his perspectives on advancing cancer care.

From research to his personal motivations and vision for equitable healthcare, Professor Charalambous provided profound insights into the present and future of the field.

Integrating Digital Solutions into Cancer Research and Care 

When asked about his research priorities, Professor Charalambous emphasized his focus on integrating innovative technologies into clinical practice.

“At the moment, we are heavily involved in projects when it comes to introducing digital and innovative solutions in clinical practice,” he explained. Among the focal areas are telemonitoring and teleconsultation—technologies that are reshaping how care is delivered, especially for patients managing chronic or complex conditions from home.

He spoke of the TRANSiTION project, an initiative designed to prepare the oncology workforce—including health managers—for the digital transformation of healthcare. “Perhaps one of the most important projects at the moment is how to better prepare the oncology workforce to uptake all these technological solutions and also achieve digital resilience,” he explained. TRANSiTION aims to build digital capacity among those who will be at the forefront of implementing these innovations in clinical settings.

Tools That Empower Lives Beyond the Clinic

Cancer patients and caregivers often navigate a world of uncertainty and complexity. For Professor Charalambous, the solution lies in empowering them to regain control of their lives.

He highlighted the need for self-management tools that empower patients and caregivers, especially for those undergoing intensive cancer treatments and those surviving cancer but are still being challenged by the long-term effects of cancer and its treatments.

“For healthcare professionals, a cancer diagnosis that we deliver to a patient is a moment in time, but the patients and the caregivers are the ones left behind to live with the diagnosis, the treatments, and so on,” he observed.

Within a European Joint Action, named eCAN, his team has developed an application that allows patients to report symptoms and receive real-time support from healthcare teams.

This approach not only reduces the need for frequent hospital visits—a burdensome experience for many patients—but also improves their quality of life.

“Nobody wants to visit the hospital unless it is an absolute necessity. It’s a burdensome process that we highly want to avoid, and when you are a cancer patient, especially in a treatment phase, that is something that you definitely don’t want. So, all these self-management tools and ways we provide them allow them to better take control of their healthcare issues closer to home,” he explained.

Confronting Cancer Care Disparities: The Need for Sustainable Policies

When asked about strategies to address disparities in cancer care, particularly for underserved populations, Professor Charalambous candidly acknowledged the complexity of the issue.

“Well, it is, by definition, a very difficult question. Not so much is to be answered, but in terms of implementing an intervention that will miraculously solve the disparities and inequalities across countries,” he began. Even within the European Union, he noted, significant gaps persist both between and within member states.

“Most of the time, those disparities come from decisions related to the financial support of these policies because it’s all about the policy,” he explained. Using cancer screening as an example, he emphasized the importance of data-driven decision-making.

“How do we do screening? We do screening based on information, data, that tells us that it is more effective and efficient to do screening in specific age groups, specific high-risk populations, in order to diagnose early on those tumor diagnoses.”

Boldness in both decision-making and policy formulation, he argued, is key to bridging these gaps. “The EU is wonderful in introducing policies when it comes to closing those gaps, but also in order to maintain and sustain that closure over time,” he said.

Temporary solutions, such as one-off funding allocations, are often insufficient.

“It is perhaps easy to allocate funds and close the gap temporarily, but then, because not all the situations change to the desired direction, the gap opens up again.” 

Sustainable policies, built incrementally and informed by inclusive decision-making, are the way forward.

“We need to be including the people that need the care, people who need the screening, people who need the support from the services at the time and of course those who provide it,” he stressed.

However, he acknowledged the challenges inherent in designing policies that address disparities at their core. “From a policy perspective, it’s not easy to design and develop policies which address or close all the gaps, but by building sustainable policies bit by bit, then you can help and close these gaps over time.”

A fundamental element in addressing disparities, he pointed out, is access to reliable data of high quality. “We need quality data in order to have a very good grasp of the problem at hand,” he said. Unfortunately, he noted that the current availability of such data is not at the desirable level.

Initiatives such as the EU’s inequalities register, launched as part of the EU Beating Cancer Plan, are working to change that. “What do data do at the end of the day? They give us a flag of where to put resources in order to close thosegaps.”. Deep learning systems can be applied with these data in order to predict areas where the system is under-performing and which can potentially lead to new inequalities or exacerbate existing ones.    

In addition to the inequalities register, tools like the European Cancer Pulse,  released by the European Cancer Organization, are proving invaluable. “It aims at identifying those inequalities and disparities across countries and within countries in Europe,” he explained. These tools, he believes, are essential for building the sustainable and inclusive policies necessary to create lasting change.

The Personal Journey Behind the Passion: The Initial Spark 

When asked about what inspired his dedication to oncology and palliative care, Professor Andreas Charalambous took a moment to reflect on his journey.

“Very interesting question,” he began, his tone thoughtful. “I’m sure most people have their own inspirations and life-changing events. Cancer, unfortunately, is an experience that most people nowadays have either directly through their family or through their friends.”

However, for Professor Charalambous, the turning point came early in his career, during his days as a university student. While completing a clinical placement, he met a patient diagnosed with chronic leukemia. “It was a final diagnosis,” he recalled, his words heavy with the gravity of the memory.

“There was no way out; it was a terminal patient, and I was speaking with him because, as a student, I had more time on my hands, but I remember he never stopped believing about how things would turn out, and guess what? A treatment breakthrough which was appropriate for his diagnosis became available, and he was saved. He lived for many years after.”

This was a tipping point for Professor Charalambous. “I actually met him again years later, for a completely different reason,” he shared. “Speaking with him gave me a perspective from within—from the other side. You never stop believing and hoping.”

For Professor Charalambous, that encounter has not only shaped his future career but has also crystallized a profound realization: the role of healthcare professionals extends far beyond medical intervention.

“I was reflecting on that experience many times, many years after that but to me I’m pretty sure nowadays that it was my life-changing event that made me think that I want to inspire hope, I want to be able to make a little dent into the lives of those people and if I manage to hope and achieve that then it would make me happy and yeah that was the initial spark.”

AI is About Making Healthcare Professionals More Effective and Efficient, Not Replacing Them

As the conversation turned to future advancements in oncology, Professor Charalambous expressed optimism about the role of technology.

“AI is transforming healthcare by enabling earlier cancer detection and personalized treatment,” he explained. By analyzing tumor characteristics and microenvironments, AI-driven tools can tailor therapies to individual patients, enhancing treatment efficacy.

While optimistic, Professor Charalambous remained grounded in his assessment of technology’s role. “Of course, I’m not saying technology is a panacea and will miraculously solve all healthcare issues overnight,” he cautioned. “But it is a tool, it is a step in the right direction.”

At the same time, he was careful to address potential misunderstandings about the relationship between technology and human expertise in healthcare. “I don’t want to be misunderstood by our audience,” he said.

“I’m not here advocating the replacement of the human factor in healthcare. I’m the first one who said we cannot do that in the first place.”

For Professor Charalambous, technology’s role is clear: “It’s just a tool at the hands of the healthcare profession, making our lives easier, making us more effective, more efficient in what we do.” In this balanced view, the future of oncology lies not in replacing the human touch but in enhancing it with the tools that make care smarter and more impactful.

Lessons from Patients: Taking in the Messages, the Voiced and Unvoiced 

When asked about the lessons he has learned from his patients, Professor Charalambous paused thoughtfully. His response was both profound and humbling, a testament to the dynamic relationship between healthcare professionals and those they serve. 

“Well, there are plenty of lessons,” he began. “I mean, being in constant interaction with patients, we learn something new almost every day.”For Professor Charalambous, these moments of learning are not fleeting—they are foundational, shaping the way he approaches his work.

“The most important thing for a healthcare professional is to be receptive,” he said. “You need to be able to take in the messages, the voiced and unvoiced, that someone is sending to you.”

In his view, healthcare is not just about medical expertise; it is about listening with intent and being attuned to the subtle cues that often go unnoticed. A glance, a pause, or a change in tone can reveal as much as spoken words, and being open to these signals is essential to providing meaningful care.

Professor Charalambous also shared a second, equally powerful insight.

“Never engage with patients with pre-assumptions in your mind,” he advised. “You have to go in with an open book, a blank page.”

He explained that approaching patients with preconceived notions can lead to mistakes, both in diagnosis and in building trust. “Otherwise, you will be caught by surprises, and, most likely, you will be making mistakes.”

To him, the patient-professional interaction is more than a transaction; it is a relationship. “You have to have that blank space in order to be able to construct the relationship,” he said. Whether it’s with a patient, a relative, or anyone else involved in the care journey, this relationship must be built thoughtfully to be “meaningful and impactful at the end of the day.”

For Professor Charalambous, these lessons go beyond best practices—they are principles that shape the very ethos of what it means to be a healthcare professional. They remind us that even in the most advanced clinical settings, it is the human connection that often makes the greatest difference.

Research Provides the Evidence, but Policy Makes it Happen: A Call for Collective Action 

When asked to share his message for advancing cancer care, Professor Charalambous leaned on his extensive experience in both policy and practice, offering a vision rooted in collaboration and evidence-based decision-making.

“Well, as you may well know, I come from a policy background, among other things, so I do have a hope and aspiration when it comes to policy.” With his characteristic clarity, he shared the personal motto that guides his work: “Research provides the evidence, but policy makes it happen.”

This motto, he explained, encapsulates his belief in the transformative power of policy. “This is one of the main reasons that I got involved in policy in the first place,” he said. For Professor Charalambous, the ability to effect change on a large scale begins with investment in policy development. “My advice on how to improve cancer care, not only on a national or European level but on a global scale, is to invest in policy,” he emphasized.

He offered practical examples to illustrate the potential of effective policy. “Providing better quality air, better quality water—these are essential to preventing cancers,” he said, pointing to the environmental factors that play a critical role in public health. He also highlighted the importance of policies targeting cancer screening, particularly in addressing disparities.

“Policy closes the gaps when it comes to disparities.”

What makes policies truly impactful, he argued, is the involvement of all stakeholders. Drawing on the example of the EU Beating Cancer Plan, Professor Charalambous explained how diverse voices can shape meaningful policies. “Good policies are driven by bringing together all the relevant stakeholders, just like the EU Beating Cancer Plan was put together by voicing all these concerns and inside views of people who are involved in cancer care.” 

His closing message was clear and empowering: advancing cancer care requires the collective effort of an entire ecosystem, from researchers to policymakers and from clinicians to advocates. “That’s how we do it,” he concluded with quiet determination.

By Yeva Margaryan