Keeping citizens and patients at the heart of Europe’s cancer mission

When partners, policymakers and patient advocates gathered at the Ordem dos Médicos in Portugal on September 10, 2026 to launch the second phase of ECHoS, our Executive Director, Alex Filicevas, was among the voices in the room there to make sure patients community remains at the centre of Europe’s response to cancer. Alex took part as Chair of the WECAN Foundation, the European network of cancer patient advocacy organisations that WBCPC is proud to belong to.

ECHoS 2 builds on a project that has already helped suppor the set up National Cancer Mission Hubs (NCMHs) across Europe. These are national structures that bring policymakers, researchers, clinicians, patients and citizens around one table, so that European cancer plans turn into real action in each country. The first phase closed in June 2026 with 17 national hubs in place across Europe. The second phase will grow and strengthen that network, connect the hubs to one another, and give them a shared route into European decision-making.

The project supports the EU Mission on Cancer and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan (EBCP), which share one goal: to improve the lives of more than 3 million people by 2030, through prevention, cure, and by helping those affected by cancer, and their families, live longer and better.

Patient leadership on the agenda

Speaking on the Mission-Oriented Leadership in Action panel, Alex Filicevas was asked what shift Europe must make so that patients become co-creators of innovation rather than recipients of it. His answer began with what has to stop: the assumption that innovation is something done for patients, by people who believe they already know what patients need. Real innovation, he argued, is not possible without the involvement of the very people it is meant to help, and that means a systemic change across the whole ecosystem rather than a single project. He also reminded the room that innovation is not only about new medicines and clinical trials, pointing to BCLEAR, our EU co-funded project on shared decision-making and health literacy in bladder cancer, as an example of innovation in how care is delivered and how patient-physician conversations happen.

Bringing novel stakeholders to the table

For the cancer patient community, working with a wide range of stakeholders is nothing new. With the reality of patients facing cancer, our advocates would work with anyone willing to join forces to save lives and make a difference. As a partner at ECHoS 2, WECAN paves the way for involving even more diverse and novel stakeholders to look at the challenges of cancer prevention from new perspectives to find innovative and engaging solutions to existing problems. The afternoon session led by WECAN, introduced the concept of Thematic Clusters and Expeditions through which this work will take place as part of the ECHoS project.

What this means for people affected by bladder cancer

Bladder cancer is often overlooked in wider cancer policy, and the people affected by it can be left out of decisions about their own care. A model that puts patients and citizens directly into national and European decision-making can help close that gap. We will be following ECHoS 2 closely, so that the hubs being built across Europe work for everyone affected by cancer, including those affected by bladder cancer.

Follow WBCPC and WECAN for updates from the ECHoS 2 kick-off, as Europe’s cancer mission moves from networks and synergies to lasting, patient-centred action