As part of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) Annual Conference 2026 in Valencia, Spain, the SPARC Roundtable will bring together clinical leaders, researchers, caregivers, patient advocates, industry representatives, and policymakers on November 5, 2026, to examine the burden of cancer care on older adults and those who support them.
Under the theme “Alleviating Burden in Patient Care,” the discussion will address caregiver responsibilities, the challenges associated with hospital-centred treatment, and opportunities to make oncology care more accessible through community-based services, digital technologies, and pragmatic clinical research.
The roundtable will be livestreamed, allowing healthcare professionals, researchers, patients, and advocates worldwide to participate virtually.
From Montreal to Valencia: Advancing Patient-Centred Cancer Care
The SPARC Roundtable series has progressively examined how cancer care and research can better respond to the needs of older adults.
In Montreal, discussions focused on defining evidence-based, patient-centred oncology care for older patients. The subsequent roundtable in Ghent explored the involvement of older adults in clinical research, particularly their role in shaping study endpoints and trial design.
The Valencia meeting will turn its attention to the practical demands of receiving and providing cancer care.
Beyond treatment selection and clinical outcomes, the discussion will consider the responsibilities placed on patients and caregivers throughout the cancer journey, including the time, physical effort, and resources required to access and manage treatment.
The Often-Overlooked Burden on Cancer Caregivers
Family members and informal caregivers play an essential role in supporting older adults undergoing cancer treatment. Their responsibilities frequently extend beyond emotional support to include medication management, transportation, symptom monitoring, and assistance with everyday activities.
Caregiver burden can influence treatment adherence, clinical decision-making, toxicity management, hospitalisation risk, quality of life, and survival.
Despite these implications, formal caregiver assessment remains uncommon in routine oncology practice.
The SPARC Roundtable will examine the importance of recognising caregiver burden and considering the needs of caregivers alongside those of patients when planning and delivering cancer care.
The discussion will also provide an opportunity to consider how healthcare systems can better acknowledge the contribution of caregivers and reduce the demands placed upon them.
Bringing Cancer Care Closer to Patients
For older adults living with comorbidities or functional limitations, frequent hospital visits and highly centralised treatment services can create substantial difficulties.
Travel requirements, prolonged appointments, and the coordination of multiple healthcare services may increase the burden associated with cancer treatment.
The Valencia roundtable will explore alternatives to conventional hospital-centred models, including community-based oncology care and digital health technologies.
Another area of discussion will be pragmatic point-of-care clinical trials, which offer opportunities to generate research evidence within routine healthcare settings.
These approaches may help bring both treatment and clinical research closer to patients’ communities, while addressing some of the practical barriers faced by older adults receiving cancer care.
Five Chairs Bringing Clinical, Research, and Patient Perspectives
The SPARC Roundtable will be chaired by five professionals representing oncology, nursing, clinical research, and patient advocacy.
Kristen R. Haase — University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Kristen R. Haase is a nursing researcher whose work focuses on the experiences of people living with cancer, patient–healthcare professional interactions, and the use of technology to support self-management among older adults. Her background includes clinical nursing, nursing education, and research into interventions that improve patient care.
Julie Berkhof — University of Rochester, Wilmot Cancer Institute, Rochester, United States
Dr. Julie Berkhof is a Doctor of Nursing Practice with expertise in clinical nursing, healthcare operations, and implementation science. Her work emphasises the integration of research evidence into clinical practice and the advancement of evidence-informed nursing care.
Beverly Canin — Cancer and Aging Research Group, Rhinebeck, United States
Beverly Canin is a patient advocate with extensive experience in breast cancer advocacy and cancer and aging research. Following her breast cancer diagnosis in 2000, she became actively involved in initiatives addressing patient participation, health disparities, and clinical research.
She has held leadership and advisory roles within organisations including SIOG and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Her contributions include co-creating the Stakeholders for Care in Oncology Research for our Elders (SCOREboard), which incorporates patient and caregiver perspectives into oncology research.
Grant Williams — University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, United States
Grant Williams represents the University of Alabama at Birmingham and will serve as one of the chairs of the Valencia SPARC Roundtable.
Nicolò Matteo Luca Battisti — The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton, United Kingdom
Dr. Nicolò Matteo Luca Battisti is a Consultant Medical Oncologist in the Breast Unit at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and Clinical Lead of its Senior Adult Oncology Programme. He also holds an honorary faculty appointment in the Breast Cancer Research Division at The Institute of Cancer Research in London.
Together, the chairs will guide a multidisciplinary discussion addressing the experiences of older adults with cancer and the people involved in their care.
SPARC: Connecting Patients, Clinicians, and Policymakers
SPARC (SIOG Patient Advocacy Resources and Communities) is an initiative bringing together patient advocates, clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and industry representatives to improve cancer care for older adults.
Through its roundtable discussions, SPARC provides a forum for examining challenges in geriatric oncology from multiple perspectives, with particular attention to patient experiences, clinical practice, research priorities, and healthcare delivery.
The Valencia meeting continues this work by focusing on the burden associated with cancer care and the opportunities to address it through more accessible services, caregiver recognition, and patient-centred research.
How to Attend the SPARC Roundtable
The SPARC Roundtable – Alleviating Burden in Patient Care will take place on November 5, 2026, during the SIOG Annual Conference in Valencia, Spain.
Event details:
- Date: November 5, 2026
- Time: 13:00 CET
- Format: In-person roundtable with a live online broadcast
- On-site attendance: By invitation only
- Virtual attendance: Open to all with advance registration
Healthcare professionals, researchers, patient advocates, caregivers, and other interested participants can register to follow the discussion online.
Register for the SPARC Roundtable Livestream
The meeting will provide an opportunity to examine how cancer care can better account for the needs of older adults and caregivers, while exploring practical approaches to reducing the demands associated with treatment and clinical research.
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