As we approach the end of 2024, PLOS One staff editors have reflected on some publications from this past year which really…
United by Unique: Celebrating World Cancer Day 2025
This World Cancer Day introduces a new theme for the next three years, 2025-2027, to focus on “United by Unique” which places people at the center of care, and their stories at the heart of the conversation.
People-centered cancer care focuses on treating the person, not just the disease, with re-orientation of care around the individual, to recognize the unique priorities and needs of each patient. It takes elements from both person- and patient-centered care to create a model within a broader community context, with individuals actively participating in their treatment, with consideration of their values and experiences, whilst also engaging families, social connections and wider communities as vital in high-quality cancer care. Its intention includes the health of entire populations, ensuring that healthcare systems are designed to serve all people equitably and inclusively.

This theme aligns closely with the increase in oncology research focused on survivorship and quality of life, with holistic consideration of patient wellbeing beyond the treatment of the cancer itself. This was evident at two major oncology conferences attended by PLOS last year; Alex Tosun, Associate Editor in PLOS Medicine, attended American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2024 and Jenny Tucker, Associate Editor in PLOS One, attended European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2024, with presentations on palliative care, patient-reported outcomes and patient advocate input across both events.
The overarching theme of last year’s ASCO meeting was “The Art and Science of Cancer Care” and Alex reported that the focus on care, especially quality of life and palliative care, found its way into most of the sessions. Dr Amy Geschwender stated that it’s “not just about what clinicians are saving patients from, but what patients are being saved for” in one of the presentations, which really reinforces that life beyond and outside of being a cancer patient has been brought to the forefront of care considerations. The plenary session, in which five practice-changing abstracts were discussed, also carried this theme with Dr Joseph Greer presenting the findings from a comparative trial studying the effectiveness of early palliative care delivered via telehealth vs in-person sessions among patients with advanced lung cancer. The study demonstrated equivalent effects on quality of life in patients, with no difference across delivery modality, although more in-person sessions were attended compared to video visits.
ESMO 2024 included similarly impactful and patient-experience focused sessions, including investigation into the treatment of secondary symptoms, such as cachexia, safety of pregnancy and breast feeding post-treatment, and patient perspectives of care. Notable poster presentations at ESMO 2024 which link to this theme included “Use of pictograms for outpatients treated for cancer and monitored by telehealth: A feasibility and proof of concept study” from Coralie Boiteau, “Exploring quality of life in women with early breast cancer: A multi-center cross-sectional study” from Ana Dugonijic Okrosa, “Quality of life (QoL) as endpoint in mesenchymal tumor-related randomized controlled trials (RCTs)” from Flavia Paternostro and “Patient-centric approach: Examining quality-of-life incorporation in 5-year phase III metastatic breast cancer trials” from Shreyas Kalantri.
Placing people at the center of care and their stories at the heart of the conversation
– World Cancer Day Campaign 2025
Recent publications in PLOS investigate related themes, including gaps in cancer care in a multi-ethnic population, healthcare disparities in breast cancer care timeliness, the lived experience of people affected by cancer, mental health implications for parents of children diagnosed with cancer, and adult cancer patients’ barriers to and satisfaction with care.
Although challenges to people-centered care remain, and adaptation of current clinical practices will take time, recent research clearly supports the need for these changes. In time, work to overcome health literacy limitations which impact use of patient-reported outcomes, improved telehealth accessibility and training, and increased funding for community support may lead to improved patient wellbeing.
Our Cancer Community page is a great place to explore cancer-focused publications across our PLOS portfolio.

References
C. Boiteau, D. Vernerey, S. Paget-Bailly, J. Henriques, J. Fritzsch, N. Alarcon, C. Ganter, E. Kempf, C. Tournigand. Annals of Oncology (2024) 35 (suppl_2): S1179-S1184. 10.1016/annonc/annonc1582
Dugonjić Okroša, Ana. (2024). 278P Exploring quality of life in women with early breast cancer: A multi-center cross-sectional study. ESMO Open. 9. 103336. 10.1016/j.esmoop.2024.103336.
F. Paternostro, D. Romandini, S. Orlando, M. Silletta, B. Vincenzi, A. Mazzocca. Annals of Oncology (2024) 9 (suppl_2): 1-32. 10.1016/esmoop/esmoop102441
S. Kalantri, C. Sainatham, J. Reddy Tallapalli, S. Reddy Sripathi, Z. Liu, M. Kong, E. Riley. Annals of Oncology (2024) 9 (suppl_4): 1-47. 10.1016/esmoop/esmoop103200
Greer JA, Temel JS, El-Jawahri A, et al. Telehealth vs In-Person Early Palliative Care for Patients With Advanced Lung Cancer: A Multisite Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2024;332(14):1153–1164. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.13964