Research events and conferences in 2016

This year is the 50th anniversary of the founding of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). They hold an annual conference that Macmillan’s Evidence department have attended for the past few years. For 2016, we presented posters on the following work:

• Examining methods to visualise the cancer population using cartograms: 20-year cancer prevalence in the UK [PDF].
• Exploring patterns of deprivation for people living with cancer: 20-year cancer prevalence in the UK [PDF].
• 20-year cancer prevalence in the UK by cancer type: exploring variations between short-term and long-term survivors in the cancer population [PDF].
• A new way of counting cancer prevalence to understand the prevalence of multiple primaries in the UK [PDF].
• Identifying progressive cancers in head and neck cancer patients using routine health datasets in England [PDF]. 
• Exploring the relationship between patient experience and outcomes; how well represented are the cancer population in the English Cancer Patient Experience Survey? [PDF]
• How many people are living with cancer in the UK at the end of 2013? [PDF].

The National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS) is one of the Evidence department’s key external partners and we work together on major data projects such as the Macmillan-NCRAS UK Cancer Prevalence Project. We also work closely with the UK and Ireland Association of Cancer Registries (UKIACR), including collaboration on specific projects such as the Local Cancer Intelligence tool.

The two-day conference, held in Manchester, was attended by many members of the community across the cancer continuum.

For 2016, our Chief Executive, Lynda Thomas held a plenary talk on patient experience and quality of life after diagnosis and our Executive Director of Policy and Impact, Fran Woodard spoke about our work on the review of informed choice for cancer registrations.

We chaired a number of plenary sessions focused on patient experience and commissioning support, and we presented two oral parallel sessions looking at the frameworks for understanding the cancer population and exploring the healthcare cost implications of cancer stage across the pathway. We also submitted 17 academic research posters on the following themes: 

• Lifestyle interventions for improving outcomes and experience for those living with and beyond cancer
• The Cancer Strategy and NHS Five Year Forward View
• Using data and the importance to data access
• Health economics
• Living with and beyond cancer

The Macmillan Research Showcase 2016 was the first, full-day evidence specific conference developed and produced by Macmillan. Raising Macmillan’s profile as a credible thought-leader within the cancer and healthcare research field, this event brought together key researchers, policy makers, commissioners and other third sector organisations. The aim of the day was to give delegates an opportunity to learn about our growing research into the cancer population, and highlight the need to invest in cancer survivorship.

You can view and download all the featured research posters from the event and access speaker presentations from the day:

• CPES 2015: National results and summary - Daniel Ratchford [PDF]
• Developing an approach to measuring quality of life - Jon Ardill [PDF]
• Exploring the healthcare cost implications of cancer stage - Rachel White [PDF]
• Co-producing evaluations: putting people affected by cancer at the heart of understanding what works and why - Lucy Loveless and Jo Ellins [PDF]
• The cost of cancer in England: Evidence from population-based patient-level data - Mauro Laudicella [PDF]

If you have any questions about what was presented at the event, please email the Evidence department.

The World Cancer Congress is the leading platform for the exchange of best practice in cancer implementation science and a key networking opportunity for the global cancer and wider health community.

Held every two years in a different country by a Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) member organisation, the event is run by the UICC, and centres on an inspiring theme relevant to the cancer and global health agenda.

In 2016, more than 3,500 cancer experts travelled to Paris to discuss the latest cancer trends and projections, learned about best practices in science implementation and met their peers from around the world.

Macmillan was heavily involved in the programme design for the Congress this year, with our Chief Medical Officer, Jane Maher, being invited to co-design the ‘Improving patient and family experience’ programme track with Anna Boltong, Head of Cancer Information and Support Services at Cancer Council Victoria, in Melbourne, Australia.

Alongside designing the congress programme, Macmillan also delivered three impactful sessions on:

• Best practice interventions on return to work for people living with cancer
• Empowering patients through self-management, symptom screening and e-technologies
• Using the law to improve patient and family experience

All three sessions were well received, with our work on money and cancer being a true highlight. 

We also delivered several academic posters and oral presentations, for more information on these please review the content via the congress website.