See you at ESMO 2026?

Author : Vanessa Barue

As the Ipsen team departs for #ESMO2026 in Madrid, one area I am particularly interested in is the growing role of real-world data in helping us understand cancer care beyond the clinical trial setting.

Clinical trials are, of course, fundamental to advancing cancer research. But they can never tell us everything. Real-world data can help build a richer picture of what happens when advances in treatment meet the complexity of everyday life for patients, different patient populations, different treatment journeys, and the decisions clinicians and patients face over time.

That feels particularly relevant as I look forward to discussions around renal cell carcinoma and neuroendocrine tumors, where evolving evidence continues to raise important questions about the need for more co-ordinated, patient centered treatment pathways and improved outcomes.

For me, there is a bigger question behind all of this: how do we close the gap between what we learn through research and what people living with cancer actually experience?

That is also why I am looking forward to the conversations beyond the scientific sessions. The ESMO Patient Advocacy Track, which Ipsen is sponsoring for the first time this year, will provide an important opportunity to hear perspectives on access, equity, innovation and the realities of living with cancer.

These conversations should not exist in isolation. Bringing together clinical research, real-world evidence and patients’ experiences can give us a much fuller understanding of where progress is being made and where important gaps remain.

That is the lens I will be taking with me to Madrid: not simply, “What are we learning?” but, “What else do we need to understand to turn scientific progress into meaningful impact for people affected by cancer?”

I look forward to listening, learning and exchanging perspectives at #ESMO2026.

If you are a healthcare professional attending ESMO 2026 and would like to  learn more about how we transform Bold Science into Human Impact stop by and say hello.