January 16, 2025 5pm London UK

Ariadna Tibau Martorell, MD PhD 

Over recent decades, significant advances have improved survival and quality of life for patients with cancer. However, the rise of therapies offering marginal benefits, often at increasing costs, has created a tension between the hope of new treatments and the reality of clinical and financial toxicities. This challenge is particularly acute in incurable cancer, placing a heavy burden on patients, families, and healthcare systems, underscoring the need for targeted improvements. This talk reviews initiatives aimed at addressing these challenges, focusing on identifying and prioritizing treatments that offer meaningful clinical benefits and genuine value to patients in modern oncology.

Video | Slides

February 13, 2025 5pm London UK

Nick Woolley

Established research estimates that nearly 40% of UK cancer cases are preventable, through actions such as reducing tobacco use, reducing obesity and exposure to UV radiation.  The incidence of preventable cancers is also increasing over time – likely to reach 226,000 by 2040, up from 184,000 in 2023. Between 2023 to 2040 there will be a total of 3.7 million new preventable cancer cases. Reducing the number of people with preventable cancers would bring significant benefits for those individuals and their families, to the economy, and to wider society. Frontier Economics has undertaken a study (available at https://www.frontier-economics.com/uk/en/news-and-insights/news/news-article-i20141-cost-of-preventable-cancers-in-the-uk-to-rise) to estimate the social and economic cost of preventable cancers in the UK. In this talk, Nick Woolley will discuss:

the total annual cost of UK preventable cancer cases diagnosed each year and how this cost breaks down into the impact on individual, health care, social care, family and carers, and productivity. In discussion he will discuss which cancers are responsible for the highest costs and how might these costs grow up to 2040 based on current trends? How feasible would it be to prevent the cancers modelled and what might it cost to avoid more cancers? What policy changes would be necessary and would these be in line with current UK government/NHS thinking? How long would it take for results to be seen? This important webinar addresses the details of how the costs, in trillions, of not preventing cancers were estimated.

March 13, 2025 5pm London UK

Chair: Leeza Osipenko, PhD

Discussants:

Ariane Denoyel (France)
Serena Tenari (Switzerland)
Jeanne Lenzer (USA)

Independent journalists face major hurdles in reporting on healthcare, particularly due to Big Pharma's pervasive influence. Many medical studies and sources, including professional societies and patient organizations, are tied to the industry, leading to overstated benefits and understated risks of drugs and devices. Media outlets avoid critical stories, fearing lawsuits and lacking journalists trained to evaluate clinical trials. Since COVID-19, criticism of prescription drugs or regulatory failures is often branded as anti-science, fuelling self-censorship. Watchdog groups and public trust in health authorities further stifle scepticism, as seen in France, where even scandals like Mediator have failed to erode confidence in regulators. Funding is another obstacle; investigative journalism on healthcare is rarely supported by mainstream media or grants free of conflicts of interest. The pandemic has worsened polarization and tribalism, making it politically risky to discuss pharmaceutical industry misconduct. Despite these challenges, journalists persist in tackling controversial health topics, though outlets willing to publish such stories remain scarce. Join the discussion by the three investigative journalists who will share their experiences and reflect on the challenges of their profession and current environment in different countries.