Malcom Orlando Ivy Foundation and Partners For Patients launch global cancer forum

The Malcom Orlando Ivy Foundation and Partners For Patients NGO are launching the Worldwide Cancer Voices Forum on Sept. 1, 2026, as a monthly global venue for patients, care partners and clinicians to discuss cancer care gaps and push those concerns into policy. The effort aims to spotlight disparities in diagnosis, treatment, access and support across cancer systems worldwide.

Why it matters: - The Worldwide Cancer Voices Forum is designed to give patients and care partners a recurring global platform to describe unmet needs in cancer care. - The forum aims to connect those lived experiences to legislation, public policy and health diplomacy. - Cancer remains a major global burden, with 20.6 million new cases and 9.8 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to GLOBOCAN 2024 estimates published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians in July 2026. - The source cited 34.4 million new cases projected by 2050, a 67% increase.

What happened: - The Malcom Orlando Ivy Foundation, based in Wheaton, Illinois, and Partners For Patients NGO, based in Lugano, Switzerland, are joining forces to launch the Worldwide Cancer Voices Forum, also called “The Voices.” - The inaugural session is set for Sept. 1, 2026, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. EDT, or 16:30 to 17:30 CEST. - The forum will then meet on the first day of every month at the same time on the same Zoom link. - The monthly gathering will bring together patients, care partners, physicians, nurses, patient advocates, parliamentarians and pharmaceutical partners. - A LinkedIn profile for Dr. Mimi Choon-Quinones is available here.

The details: - The forum will focus on pain, suffering, disparities, inequities and unmet needs affecting people living with cancer and their families. - The discussion will cover prevention and early detection, including awareness, screening and delayed or missed diagnoses. - The agenda also includes access to specialists, pathology, biomarkers and genomic testing. - Treatment and research topics will include medicines, innovative therapies, clinical trials, blood cancers and multiple myeloma care. - Equity topics will include underserved and underrepresented communities, geographic and socioeconomic disparities, financial toxicity and the economic burden of cancer. - Living-with-cancer topics will include care partner burden and support, mental, emotional and psychosocial effects, lifestyle medicine, brain health and survivorship. - The forum will also examine nursing challenges, palliative and end-of-life care, patient rights and equitable access to healthcare. - The group says the forum will examine disparities across all cancers while recognizing that different cancers, populations, countries and healthcare systems face distinct challenges. - The global cancer burden figures cited in the release include 1 in 5 people developing cancer in their lifetime and about 1 in 9 men and 1 in 13 women dying of cancer. - The release said 19.5 million new cases and 9.7 million deaths were counted when nonmelanoma skin cancer is excluded.

Between the lines: - The launch reflects a shift from one-way advocacy to structured listening sessions that feed patient experience into policymaking. - Michelle Ware-Ivy is grounding the effort in her personal experience as a multiple myeloma care partner and the promise she made to her husband, Malcom Orlando Ivy. - Mimi Choon-Quinones is positioning patient testimony as a legislative input, not just a support-group conversation. - The forum's broad coalition suggests an attempt to bring clinicians, lawmakers and drugmakers into the same conversation as patients and families. - H.E. Chief Fortune Charumbira, former president of the Pan-African Parliament, said cancer is affecting too many people and more collaborators are needed.

What's next: - The first session will open with a central question about what disparities, inequities, pain and suffering still exist in cancer care. - Future monthly sessions are expected to continue on the same date and time each month. - The forum is intended to generate findings that can be reflected into legislation and broader health policy. - The release ends mid-question, suggesting additional forum topics or follow-up programming may be announced later.

The bottom line: - The new forum turns cancer advocacy into a standing global convening aimed at turning patient and care partner testimony into policy action.