World Cancer Day 2026 United by Unique

Every year, cancer affects the lives of more than 20 million people and kills 10 million people; however,everyone's experience is different. Because of stigma one patient could get a late diagnosis. One patient may file for bankruptcy for the medical expenses associated with treatment of cancer. Another patient may not have access to the right healthcare needed to combat cancer due to cultural barriers.

The theme of this year's event will center around patient-centered care and designing a health system where the patient, not just the cancer, is the primary focus. For pharmaceutical and health technology executives, this is an undeniable call to action in the $200 billion oncology market—personalization is not just desirable, it's also financially beneficial.

While the experiences of those affected by cancer differ greatly, they're united by a common goal: to find out who they are sooner, to have equal access to treatment for cancer, and to increase survival rates.

Stories Drive Change

Caring for those affected by cancer through community events and programs that enhance understanding of the impact of the disease. UICC's campaign, "United by Unique," seeks to highlight those impacted by cancer (survivors, families, advocates) and their stories of the brokenness within the healthcare and social systems.

UICC has asked the question of "what does it take?" to expose the realities within our communities:

• Patients in rural areas have to travel 200km to get chemotherapy
• Young mothers hide physical symptoms of breast cancer because of fear and stigma associated with the disease
• Older patients have been unable to afford the cost of immunotherapy treatment.

We have made our compassion evident in Year 2 of our campaign and will continue to do so through our lived experiences.

Global engagement continues to increase with over 1,000 activations this year alone. Many of the world’s most recognizable landmarks have gone blue and orange in honor of UICC’s campaign, including the Taj Mahal. UICC’s Chief Executive, Cary Adams, has been vocal about seeing through the eyes of the patient and to remember, "see the person before you see the patient." Through the use of the #UnitedbyUnique hashtag, UICC has seen substantial engagement of the campaign on social media.

Cancer's Economic Toll

Every year, 1 out of 5 worldwide die of cancer-related causes, with India reporting 1.5 million new cancer cases being diagnosed every year. The survival rates of cancer are below 30%, because it is often diagnosed at an advanced/later stage.

Many Low/Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) carry 70% of the worldwide cancer burden and have only 50% of the worldwide incidence of cancer. The disparity of access to radiotherapy machines (1,000 patients to every 1 million in LMICs vs. 400 patients to every 1 million in developed countries) highlights the need for continued advocacy to change this disparity.

The global treatment market for cancer is estimated at $200 billion and is growing at an estimated annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8%. The number of precision therapies continues to grow exponentially; for instance, the number of CAR-T approvals has doubled in just the last year.

Also, Artificial Intelligence can be used to reduce the errors in identifying the pathologies, up to 25%. Roche’s FoundationOne genomic testing is identified as targeting 40% of all cancer patients, thus improving response rates to treatment.

Pharma Gets Personal

Oncology innovations extend beyond traditional chemotherapy. Novartis is funding navigation programs for cancer survivors. By means of this, participating hospitals or health systems are seeing a gain in brand trust that averages 20%.

The following highlights the major changes that are underway in the field of oncology:

• Genomic Profiling - Genomic profiling helps find appropriate treatments for tumors. The patient will also experience less side effects with their treatment (estimated that 25% of side effects will be eliminated if therapy is matched to cancer mutation).
  
   
• Digital Therapeutics - Apps like MyTherapy allow patients to track their adherence to their therapy and thus decrease the number of patients who don’t show up for their scheduled appointments by approximately 35%.
  
   
• Financial Navigation - The oncology access programs offered by Lilly Pharmaceuticals will assist with the copay for 500,000 patients who are receiving an oncology service. The Government of India’s Ayushman Bharat Program currently provides health insurance coverage for approximately 500 million patients.

Tele-oncology is an additional method by which private companies are bridging the gap between urban and rural residents in India, allowing them to receive oncology services.

Business Goldmine

The oncology marketplace is a significant opportunity for investors. For example, there are many oncology businesses looking for ways to maximize their returns based on:

• Liquid Biopsies- $20 billion market with the ability to detect cancer early in an individual’s life, resulting in better care.

• Access Platforms- $50 billion market with significant penetration in lower-middle-income countries.

• Patient Navigation Services- $10 billion market that can potentially increase retention by 15% of patients.

Pharmaceutical companies are paying for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) through the 12% increase in prescriptions from Pfizer cancer survivor campaigns. Healthtech venture capitalists (VCs) have invested money in AI triage technology resulting in tripling of rural detection for cancer cases.

Barriers Remain: Stigma, Access, Cost

Countries with Limited Resources (LMIC) face a daunting challenge due to the fact that approximately 70% of LMIC patients do not have access to basic radiotherapy services. As a result, the economy of India is losing approximately ₹2 lakh crore each year due to productivity loss from those patients who are receiving no radiotherapy.

Due to the stigma associated with cancer, almost half of the breast cancer patients don’t receive timely diagnosis. Such stigmas are enrooted in their cultures.

United Path Forward

The 2026 World Cancer Day meeting will bring together businesses from every sector to collaborate on the funding for preventive screenings, transportation for patients to and from appointments, and to find a way to amplify the voices of the companies they represent. The world of oncology is transitioning from sick care to dignity-based care.

Investors have identified the critical need to finance these innovations in order to take their share of the largest growth industry in the next decade - personalized care and its compounding effect on the consumer.