Barcelona, 2 March 2026 – The Global Cancer Ecosystem (GCE) was officially launched today at the Global Health Connector Summit, held at Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona, marking a significant milestone in global efforts to reduce cancer inequalities.
Presented as a “Crucible for CollaborAction,” the Global Cancer Ecosystem is designed to move beyond dialogue and fragmentation toward measurable, collective impact.
The GCE was formally introduced during a dedicated high-level session led by Brian O’Connor, Chairman of Global Health Connector, alongside Mark Lawler, Professor of Digital Health at Queen’s University Belfast, and Eduardo Pisani, CEO of All.Can International, all members of the Steering Group of the Global Cancer Ecosystem.
The Global Cancer Ecosystem is a global communication and CollaborAction platform that connects stakeholders across regions, disciplines, and sectors to reduce cancer inequalities.
It enables knowledge exchange, coordination, and collective CollaborAction, by translating evidence into practice, amplifying underrepresented voices, and supporting capacity building, particularly in low-resource settings.
Address disparities in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship across and within regions. This pillar focuses on building equitable access to quality care, strengthening health systems, and reducing the social and economic barriers that drive inequality.
Prioritise CollaborAction and capacity building in low-resource settings, while actively promoting mutual learning and knowledge exchange. By adapting global innovations to local contexts, the GCE supports solutions that are context-sensitive, scalable, and sustainable. The GCE also fosters south–south and south–north CollaborAction, enabling the transfer of expertise, data, and best practices across regions to reduce global cancer inequalities.
Leverage the power of data, digital health, and artificial intelligence to enable smarter decision-making, enhance coordination, and accelerate research and innovation. This includes promoting interoperability, ethical data sharing, and equitable digital transformation across cancer ecosystems.
As Brian O’Connor, Chairman of Global Health Connector, stated:
“We created the Global Cancer Ecosystem in response to demand from our members, partners, and 90+ communities around the world. They wanted a focal point that would connect the many initiatives taking place globally, amplify the excellent work being done by so many, and, with that collective power and collective voice, make a sustainable difference.”
Cancer remains one of the most pressing global health challenges. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer agency of the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 35 million new cancer cases are projected by 2050 — a 77% increase from the estimated 20 million cases in 2022. This rapidly growing global cancer burden reflects population ageing and growth, as well as changes in exposure to risk factors, many of which are linked to socioeconomic development.
Despite scientific breakthroughs and policy advances, inequalities in prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship persist both between and within countries.
Professor Mark Lawler, Professor of Digital Health at Queen’s University Belfast, emphasised the urgency of coordinated action:
“The data do not lie. Cancer is the greatest global challenge in human health. Global challenges need global solutions and fast – hence our Global Cancer Ecosystem. Cancer won’t wait. We can’t wait. Our Crucible for CollaborAction is a Call to Action – uniting the community to act urgently, to compete not against each other, but against our common enemy: cancer.”
The growing strain on cancer care systems globally was also highlighted during the session.
Eduardo Pisani, CEO of All.Can International, noted:
“Cancer care systems are under unprecedented strain in Europe and globally. In this context, improving efficiency is not only an economic necessity but also a patient imperative. Efficient cancer care means achieving better health outcomes with a smarter use of available resources – by ensuring care is timely, well-coordinated, and patient-centered.”
The recent strategic collaboration between Global Health Connector and CancerX, the leading community for digital innovation in oncology, further reinforces this commitment to CollaborAction, aligning global ecosystems to accelerate digital innovation, reduce fragmentation, and ensure scalable solutions reach patients faster and more equitably across health systems worldwide.
The Global Cancer Ecosystem is guided by an interim Steering Group composed of leaders from across sectors and regions and coordinated by Federica Porcu, Innovation Project Manager at Global Health Connector, who will lead the operational development of the initiative.
The Steering Group will be progressively expanded to include representatives from other regions—including Africa, the United States, India, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific—ensuring true global representation and inclusivity.
For more information, please visit the Global Cancer Ecosystem page or contact:
federica@globalhealthconnector.com
About Global Health Connector
Global Health Connector helps to build a truly connected and collaborative global movement that’s driving health transformations – across themes, sectors, regions and cultures. We bring people together to accelerate health transformation through innovation, CollaborAction, and shared learning. We connect the dots, transform health, and deliver global expertise with tangible results.
We bring opportunities, you bring engagement.
