ESGO and ENGAGe support the Cancer Patients Europe position paper on Unmet Medical Needs

The European Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO) and its patient network ENGAGe are proud to support the Cancer Patients Europe Position Paper on Defining Unmet Medical Needs.

The definition of Unmet Medical Need (UMN) will play a decisive role in how research is prioritised, how innovation is incentivised, and how patients gain timely access to new therapies. A narrow or static definition risks limiting innovation and delaying access to life-saving or quality-of-life-improving treatments, especially in oncology.

Together with Cancer Patients Europe and other co-signatories, ESGO and ENGAGe call for a broad, flexible, and patient-centred definition of UMN that reflects not only medical but also patient and societal perspectives. This is crucial to ensure that both breakthrough and incremental innovations continue to improve outcomes for people living with cancer.