Hadi Mohamad Abu Rasheed, Scientific Advisor and Director of Programs at Qatar Cancer Society, shared on LinkedIn:
“Beyond precision oncology: advancing care for the whole person.
Reflecting on the Advancing Care in Advanced Breast Cancer Workshop 2026, held in Doha on 18 October, where I had the privilege of serving as co-chair alongside Prof. Dr. Salha Bujassoum Al-Bader, offering the opening remarks, and contributing to the expert panel.
With an estimated 2.4 million new breast cancer cases and 694,000 deaths globally in 2024, the challenge is not only to develop better treatments, but also to ensure that progress translates into equitable, person-centred care.
Our scientific exchange explored unmet needs in HR+/HER2− advanced breast cancer, evolving treatment strategies, ESR1 mutation–guided decisions, treatment safety and tolerability, and translating evidence into a better patient journey. Advances in ctDNA-guided monitoring and endocrine therapies such as camizestrant demonstrate the promise of precision oncology.
From my public health perspective, the next challenge is to close three critical gaps:
- Between scientific innovation and equitable access to molecular testing and appropriate therapies.
- Between clinical outcomes and what people living with cancer value: quality of life, psychosocial well-being, informed choice and manageable treatment burden.
- Between pathways designed for patients and pathways shaped with patients through meaningful engagement.
Meaningful patient engagement is not optional. People living with cancer should be partners in shaping, evaluating and improving the systems intended to serve them.
A truly holistic approach connects oncology, supportive care, patient navigation, public health and policy—measuring success not only in disease control, but also in patient-reported outcomes, experience and dignity.
Thank you to Meeting Minds – Conferences for the excellent organization;
- the Qatar Scientific Oncology Innovation and Networking Society (Q-SOINS) for its collaboration;
- Qatar Cancer Society for its endorsement;
- AstraZeneca for supporting this scientific exchange;
- and the faculty and colleagues for the thoughtful discussion.”
You can also read: Expert Discussion at COGC 2026: The Right First Investments in Precision Oncology
