As part of London Global Cancer Week 2026, OncoDaily hosted a virtual session, “L’OncoDaily Session”, bringing together international experts to examine some of the most pressing challenges in global oncology, from access to essential cancer medicines and clinical trials to workforce development and international partnerships.
The session provided a platform for discussions on the barriers that continue to limit progress in cancer care, with particular attention to the practical changes needed to improve access to treatment, research opportunities, and professional resources across different healthcare systems.
Featuring contributions from David Kerr, Justin Stebbing, Richard Sullivan, Alicia Demirjian, and Arpi Asminian, the programme addressed three interconnected priorities: medicines, clinical trials, and the oncology workforce.
Beyond Treatment Access: The Fourth Challenge in Cancer Care
The session opened with a welcome from Arpi Asminian, introducing OncoDaily’s role in connecting the international oncology community and facilitating discussions on challenges affecting cancer care worldwide.
The opening segment, “OncoDaily Snapshot — Where the World Reads About Cancer From, and What It Reads,” examined the geographical reach of oncology information and the subjects attracting attention among readers.
A central theme was the concept of a fourth access problem in cancer care: information.
While discussions about global cancer inequalities frequently concentrate on access to medicines, diagnostics, and healthcare infrastructure, the session also placed attention on the availability and distribution of reliable oncology information.
This perspective raised an important question about how scientific knowledge, professional education, and developments in cancer research can reach healthcare professionals and communities across different regions.
Global Partnerships: Measuring Progress Beyond Commitments
David Kerr led the opening discussion on international partnerships in oncology, addressing the distinction between collaborations that produce meaningful results and those whose impact remains largely associated with institutional visibility.
Under the theme “Global Partnerships in Cancer: What Has Delivered, and What Has Been Branding,” the programme encouraged a critical examination of how international cooperation can contribute to improvements in cancer prevention, treatment, research, and healthcare delivery.
The discussion placed emphasis on the importance of evaluating partnerships through practical outcomes rather than announcements or institutional commitments alone.
For global oncology initiatives, the central consideration remains whether collaboration can translate into sustained improvements in access, capacity, and patient care.
When Medicines Exist but Patients Cannot Access Them
The first panel, “Drugs: Getting Them to Patients, and Finding Them Faster,” featured Justin Stebbing.
The discussion was structured around a fundamental challenge in contemporary oncology: why patients continue to face difficulties accessing cancer medicines even when effective treatments are already available.
The panel’s guiding question also extended to drug discovery, examining whether the development of future cancer therapies could become faster and more cost-effective.
These issues reflect two important dimensions of global cancer care: improving access to existing therapies and strengthening the processes through which new treatments are identified and developed.
The panel concluded with a question concerning the most effective route to expanding treatment access: reducing drug prices, addressing healthcare system barriers, or improving the efficiency of drug discovery.
Building the Oncology Workforce: People, Resources, and Responsibility
The third panel, “People, Workforce and Power,” brought together David Kerr, Richard Sullivan, and Alicia Demirjian to examine the challenges of developing and sustaining the cancer workforce.
The discussion centered on a direct question: “You can’t import a cancer workforce — so how do you build one?”
Workforce capacity remains a fundamental requirement for effective cancer services. The availability of trained professionals influences the delivery of diagnosis, treatment, supportive care, and clinical research.
The panel addressed workforce development as a long-term responsibility requiring attention to professional education, training opportunities, institutional capacity, and the organization of healthcare services.
Participants were also presented with a practical closing question: if given one year and no additional funding, what would they build?
This framework directed attention toward realistic approaches to workforce development within existing financial and institutional constraints.
OncoDaily: More Than a Website
The session concluded under the theme “OncoDaily, More Than a Website,” returning to the broader role of communication, professional engagement, and international collaboration in oncology.
Throughout the programme, the discussions connected several challenges that are often considered separately: access to medicines, opportunities for clinical trial participation, workforce development, and the distribution of reliable medical information.
Together, these subjects illustrated the complexity of improving cancer care across different healthcare settings and the importance of examining how scientific advances can be translated into practical opportunities for patients and healthcare professionals.
As part of London Global Cancer Week 2026, L’OncoDaily Session contributed to the international conversation on how oncology partnerships, research systems, and professional communities can respond to persistent inequalities in cancer care.
By bringing these questions into a shared discussion, the session reinforced OncoDaily’s commitment to facilitating professional dialogue, sharing oncology knowledge, and connecting the global cancer community.
The recording of L’OncoDaily Session is available through the OncoDaily event page.
