Queen Letizia emphasized this Wednesday in Brussels the urgency of ensuring a "stable" investigation against cancer, supported by sufficient funding and cooperation between the public and private sectors, but also "universally accessible," so that scientific advances reach all patients regardless of their origin or personal situation. At the same time, she highlighted the achievements made in prevention, early diagnosis, and the development of new treatments.
"Research is no longer a future promise: research is already saving lives, more and more, and for it to continue doing so, it must be stable, have investment, public-private collaboration, and --something vital that we have also insisted on in these 10 years-- it must be universally accessible. Cancer advances and continues to be non-discriminatory, it does not care where we are from or what situation we live in. It is important that scientific progress and social equity go hand in hand," she defended.
These words were spoken during her intervention on the occasion of World Cancer Research Day 2026, which takes place at the headquarters of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). There, she claimed the transformation recorded in the last decade and emphasized that the fight against this pathology is now conceived as a responsibility "of all."
In her speech, she pointed out that society is now more aware of the value of prevention and early diagnosis, while innovation has contributed to raising the quality of life of patients and integrating them as active participants in the research process itself.
"Evaluating how long patients live is as important as evaluating how they live," she noted, citing the work developed by the EORTC and the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) to incorporate quality of life and the perspective of those affected into oncological research.
The Queen also called for specific attention to childhood cancer, both due to its low prevalence and the enormous impact it causes "on lives that have just begun," insisting that scientific advances must always be accompanied by equality in access to treatments.
Advances in therapies and quality of life
Among the progress made, Letizia has cited the better understanding of cancer biology, the development of precision medicine, targeted therapies, advances in immunotherapy, and the emergence of advanced treatments, which have expanded alternatives for patients and have allowed them to be "less harmful."
To these milestones, she has added the potential of scientific innovation, digital technology, genomics, and international cooperation, along with an Artificial Intelligence that, she has recalled, already provides "speed, efficiency, and new perspectives," although she has insisted that it will still require the guidance and judgment of healthcare professionals and researchers.
"Today we understand cancer better and, therefore, if we follow Marie Curie's philosophy, we should fear it less. And above all, and on this I insist, we must prevent it better," she has summarized.
In the final part of her speech, she has called for accelerating efforts to continue advancing in this field, always "with guarantees," in the face of a disease against which, she has warned, time cannot be wasted. "Cancer research does not have the luxury of time," she has emphasized.
Ten years of World Cancer Research Day
This year's edition, under the slogan "Advancing Together Cancer Research," coincides with the tenth anniversary of an initiative born in 2016 to strengthen social awareness and stimulate research against this disease.
Queen Letizia, Honorary President with Permanent Character of the Spanish Association Against Cancer and its Scientific Foundation, has been present in recent years at commemorative events held in London, Milan, and Salamanca. On this occasion, the event takes place in Brussels and brings together researchers and patients in a panel focused on the direct involvement of the latter in oncological research.