WBCPC presents GCCN poster at the World Cancer Congress 2026 in Hong Kong

When someone is diagnosed with cancer, a patient organisation is often where they turn for information, support and a voice. Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, those organisations are still under strain, and patients feel it first. New research from the Global Cancer Coalitions Network (GCCN) shows where the pressure lies and what needs to change.

The World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition (WBCPC) is in Hong Kong for the World Cancer Congress 2026, organised by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) with the Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society.

On September 25, 2026, our Executive Director Alex Filicevas, who is also Co-Chair of GCCN, presented the poster “Recovery under pressure: persistent strain on cancer patient organisations five years after COVID-19” on behalf of GCCN.

GCCN brings together nine global coalitions and alliances, working together since May 2020. Each member is itself an alliance of national patient organisations, so together they represent more than 775 cancer patient organisations in every region of the world, working on behalf of more than 14 million patients. Alongside WBCPC, GCCN members are the ABC Global Alliance, Global Colon Cancer Association, Global Lung Cancer Coalition, International Brain Tumour Alliance, International Kidney Cancer Coalition (IKCC), Lymphoma Coalition, World Ovarian Cancer Coalition and World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition.

Why this matters

Patient organisations fill the gaps health systems leave, and they bring the voices of patients, survivors and carers into policy. When the pandemic hit in 2020, two in three organisations that relied on fundraising saw their income fall. Yet they kept working. In Brazil, Oncoguia moved its work with parliamentarians online, and in 2023 Brazil approved its National Policy for Cancer Prevention and Control. Patient organisations make health systems stronger. The question is whether they can still afford to.

What the research looked at

Building on GCCN’s 2021 survey, a global survey ran from January to March 2025. 96 cancer patient organisations in 45 countries responded, covering 12 cancer types and every tier of the Human Development Index (HDI), a UN measure of a country’s health, education and income. Four follow-up interviews in Brazil, India, the United States and Australia added context. The survey looked at five areas: working practices, income, patient services, research and health systems.

What they found

• Demand is up, income is not. 69.1% of organisations report higher demand than before the pandemic, while 62.8% report income that is static or falling (71.8% among small organisations), at a time of high inflation.
• The strain is greatest where health systems are weakest. In low, medium and high HDI countries, 81% of organisations say their income is not enough to meet patient needs, compared with 28% in very high HDI countries. That is a gap of almost three-fold.
• People are not the problem, funding is. 82% report staff numbers at or above pre-pandemic levels, 46.7% have more volunteers, and hybrid working is now permanent for 49.2%.
• Cancer care is still catching up. Organisations estimate an average three-year setback in diagnosis and treatment, rising to four years in low, medium and high HDI countries, against two in very high HDI countries. 31.4% of organisations with research programmes now invest less or have stopped.
• Patient voices are missing from recovery. Only one in three organisations (32.2%) has been involved in government-led recovery consultations, and one in three believe policymakers risk repeating pandemic-era mistakes.

Behind every one of these figures are people waiting longer for a diagnosis, for treatment or simply for someone to talk to.

What happens next

GCCN is calling on policymakers and all stakeholders to act on three things. Involve patient organisations in recovery planning. Fund services to meet rising demand. Prioritise lower-resource settings. The full findings are published in the Close the Loop report.

If your organisation is feeling this pressure, we want to hear from you. Read the full Close the Loop report and find out more about GCCN at globalccn.org or by writing to info@globalccn.org.