VPH attended the 2026 Cancer Patients Europe Annual Meeting

The opening plenary, led by Francisco Lozano and Antonella Cardone, highlighted Europe’s crossroads moment; where geopolitical shifts, rising inequalities, and rapid innovation demand coordinated action to ensure equitable, resilient, and patient‑centred cancer care. Sessions throughout the day explored clinical trials, access to care, and personalised medicine, revealing both persistent structural barriers and promising policy developments.

For VPH, participation offered a valuable opportunity to hear directly from patient organisations and survivor communities. Their insights are essential to shape the direction of research initiatives in Virtual Human Twin (VHT) development and personalised medicine. A clear message echoed across panels: patients are still too often involved too late, too inconsistently, and without the structures needed for meaningful participation, reinforcing the importance of VPH’s mission to support early, continuous, and equitable patient engagement.

Language and confidence barriers remain major obstacles on both sides: researchers often lack tools for meaningful outreach, while patients may feel underprepared to engage in technical discussions. Training programmes such as EUPATI and bridging organisations like VPH were highlighted as key to strengthening patient confidence and ensuring their voices shape research from start to finish. Despite progress, research outcomes still frequently overlook what matters most to patients: quality of life, emotional well-being, financial impact, and long‑term survivorship. This highlights the need for structured support, funding, and clear engagement frameworks.

A dedicated VOICE PM session focused on moving from tokenistic consultation to genuine co‑creation, emphasising early involvement, shared language, bridging actors, and mutual capacity‑building. Patient testimonies illustrated how structured committees and long‑term engagement models can meaningfully improve research relevance and impact.

The insights gathered in Brussels reinforce VPH’s commitment to embedding patient involvement across European research projects. Being present allowed us to hear directly from patient communities, understand their expectations and priorities, strengthen relationships across Europe, and prepare for future collaborations where patient voices are not only included but central.