Alina Comanescu, Vice Chair of the Board at Digestive Cancers Europe, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“I had the opportunity to speak today about a subject that stands at the heart of meaningful cancer advocacy: the societal value of innovation, and how we can harness it to advance patient outcomes, equity, and dignity.
I am not here today to talk about charity. I am here to remind us of a simple, powerful truth: innovation is not a luxury for the few; it is the highest form of social justice for the many.
When we talk about the “societal value of innovation,” we are not talking about glossy brochures or stock prices. We are talking about the understanding that innovation is not simply a scientific achievement. It is a societal asset.
Its value extends far beyond clinical endpoints, cost analyses, or reimbursement files. It touches families, communities, health systems, productivity, well-being, and ultimately, the social fabric that supports every person facing a digestive cancer diagnosis.
To recognize this broader value means shifting the way we speak, act, and negotiate as advocates. It means ensuring that decision-makers no longer view innovation as an expense, but as an investment – one that generates returns not only in survival, but in human potential. We must make policymakers and payers see what we see every day: the value that innovation unlocks, not just for the patient, but for the world around them.
What is the societal value of innovation in digestive cancers care?
1. The Economic Return: When a patient is effectively treated, they are often able to return to work, contribute to the tax base, and spend money in their communities. We are not just saving a life; we are sustaining a productive citizen.
2. The Reduction in Caregiver Burden: Innovation extends life, but more importantly, it extends healthy life. When a patient is less reliant on intensive care, we reduce the immense, uncompensated burden placed on family members – spouses, children, and friends – who can then return to their own careers or their own lives. This is a massive, quantifiable economic and emotional gain for society.
3. The Value of Hope: Innovation sustains hope, which drives investment and research. It creates a dynamic health ecosystem, preventing brain drain and attracting medical talent. The simple promise that “there is always something new coming” is what holds families and communities together.
When we enter a room with decision-makers, we must not approach it as supplicants begging for a handout. We must approach it as strategic partners demonstrating a clear, evidence-based return on investment for the entire society. Because when a grandmother in Viseu or a farmer in Galway gets the same chance as a CEO in Brussels, that is not charity. That is justice. That is the true societal value of innovation.
Today, we stand at a moment when digestive cancers are increasing in incidence, affecting younger populations, and placing new pressures on healthcare systems. Innovation – whether in treatments, screening strategies, digital tools, or care pathways – is not optional. It is essential. The value of life is infinite, but the value of health innovation is measurable, substantial, and essential for the future of Europe.
Our role as patient advocates is to translate the real-world effects of innovation into language that policymakers, economists, and healthcare leaders cannot ignore. It means bringing stories, data, and lived experience into the same conversation. It means reframing the narrative from “The treatment is too expensive for the patient to afford,” to: “What is the cost of inaction? The cost of delay? The price of losing a skilled worker, a mentor, or a parent to a preventable death vastly outweighs the cost of the intervention.”
Our advocacy efforts must demand that health technology assessments (HTAs) broaden their scope. They must incorporate metrics that measure social impact, caregiver time saved, and the long-term economic sustainability of keeping citizens healthy and productive. And when patients themselves bring their lived expertise into research, regulation, and policy, this too is innovation – because it shifts systems toward greater relevance, responsiveness, and fairness. But achieving this requires persistent advocacy, strong evidence, and a unified voice.
This is where societal value becomes a strategic tool.
- It helps us explain why screening for colorectal cancer is not a cost, but a societal return.
- It helps us argue that delays in access are not administrative issues, but lost years of life.
- It helps us show that supporting research and early diagnosis saves not only money, but futures.”
More posts featuring Alina Comanescu on OncoDaily.
