IARC – May 2026 Congress Abstract Peter Kapitein 


‘We are not meant to be here for two or three months of life extension – we can do better.’ 
— José Baselga 

Inspire2Live works—anchored in robust scientific evidence—on prevention, early detection, access to treatment, and palliative care. Across every stage of the patient journey, one truth stands out: “We do not execute what we already know.” 
— David Lane 

Why is this still the case? 
Because we fail to collaborate. We fail to share. We overlook the hidden costs of saying “no”. We dismiss the value of working with patients rather than around them. And perhaps most crucially: as patient advocates, we too often fail to seize the initiative. This is our responsibility. 

If we are not at the table, we will, inevitably, be on the menu. We understand the problems, and together we can solve most of them—simply by acting on the knowledge we already have. 

This is a call for parallel action and genuine cooperation. Bring regulators in from the very beginning. Engage industry early, so that what must be produced can be produced—and distributed equitably. 

We must, and we can, close the gap for patients worldwide. How? 

A camel is a horse designed by a commission. 

How do you build a bridge? With engineers and workers. Leave it to the professionals. 

Ask what matters in the local context. Don’t think North–South; work South–North. 

Do the right thing with the right people. 

And ask: why do we keep producing only expensive solutions? Use your brilliant minds to serve 8 billion people, not just 1 billion. 

“To delay the development of a treatment that cures a lethal disease that kills 100,000 people per year is to be responsible for the deaths of those 100,000 people, even if you never see them.” 
— Julian Savulescu