APOCP 13th General Assembly & Scientific Conference Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia 28-30 September 2026
The Scientific Programme (subject to change) is now available: [Download Programme in a PDF file]
More information will be posted soon, including registration and abstract submission details, as well as venue/accommodation and sponsorship/exhibition information. Please check back regularly — watch this space for updates.
Asian Pacific Organization for Cancer
Prevention (APOCP)
13TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY & SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE
The Waterfront Hotel, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
September 28 – 30 2026
The Scientific Program
REGISTRATION FEES (USD, 3-DAY PASS)
- Income band is based on the employer/affiliation country at registration (World Bank classification current at registration).
- NGO rate applies to registered, non-profit, non-governmental organisations whose primary mission is patient/community services or public-interest advocacy; proof is required
- Students must upload a student ID or enrolment letter showing name, institution, and validity covering 28–30 September 2026.
- The organisers may reclassify registrations if documentation does not match the selected category; any fee difference must be settled to receive a badge.
- Early-bird discounts will be available for a limited period once registration opens.
- A 10% group discount will be offered for institutions or country delegations registering 10 or more participants, managed through a designated coordinator.
- A 10% discount will be offered for delegates whose abstracts are selected for oral presentation, in recognition of scientific merit.
- Early-bird registration may be combined with group registration discounts. Other discounts are not cumulative.
- Full details (including deadlines and procedures) will be published on the official conference website.
Asian Pacific Organization for Cancer Prevention (APOCP)
13TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY & SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE
The Waterfront Hotel,
Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
September 28 – 30, 2026
Scientific program
Monday, 28 September 2026 – APOCP 25th Celebration | |
|---|---|
Time | Session |
9:00-9:10 |
Welcome Note Nirmala Bhoo-Pathy (Malaysia) Organising Chair of APOCP 13th General Assembly and Scientific Conference
|
9:10-9:40 |
Opening Ceremony YB Datuk Amar Prof. Dr Sim Kui Hian (Malaysia) Deputy Premier of Sarawak
|
9:40-10:00 |
KEYNOTE-ADDRESS 1 Closing the Gaps: Women, Families, and Equity in Cancer Care Speaker: YB Dato Sri Hajah Fatimah Abdullah (Malaysia) Minister for Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development, Sarawak, Malaysia
|
10:00-10:25 |
KEYNOTE-ADDRESS 2 Turning Knowledge into Action: Accelerating Cancer Control in Asia-Pacific Speaker: Prof Jeff Dunn AO (Australia) Past President, UICC Past President, APOCP
|
10:25-10:40 | Tea Break |
10:40-11:50 |
Panel 1 Cancer Intelligence, Prevention, and Priority-Setting in Asia-Pacific
Moderator: Isabelle Soerjomataram (France) Panelists: Sue K. Park (South Korea), Chien-Jen Chen (Taiwan), Shahid Pervez (Pakistan), Ophira Ginsburg (UK), Le Tran Ngoan (Vietnam)
|
11:50-13:00 |
Panel 2 What Worked, What Didn’t: Cancer Control Lessons from Asia Pacific
Moderator: Abhishek Shankar (India) Panelists: Keun-Young Yoo (South Korea), Kazuo Tajima (Japan), Saunthari Somasundaram (Malaysia), Bogda Koczwara (Australia), Kishore Kumar Pradhananga (Nepal)
|
13:00-14:00 | Lunch |
14:00-15:15 |
Panel 3 Future-Ready Cancer Control: A Practical Playbook for Asia-Pacific
Moderator: Richard Sullivan (UK) Panelists: You-Lin Qiao (China), Malcolm Moore (Thailand), Elizabeth A. Mittendorf (USA), Maqsood Siddiqi (India), Nirmala Bhoo-Pathy (Malaysia)
|
15:15-16:15 |
Plenary Industry Symposium 1: Private Health Insurance and Cancer Care: Filling Gaps, Expanding Protection
|
16:15-17:15 |
Plenary Industry Symposium 2: Closing Access Gaps in Cancer Care with Generics and Biosimilars
|
17:15-17:30 | Tea Break |
17:30-18:15 | APOCP General Assembly |
15:15-18:15 | Parallel Workshops |
19:30 onwards | Conference Gala Dinner |
Tuesday, 29 September 2026 – Conference Day 1 | |
|---|---|
Time | Session |
8:00-8:50 | Industry Sponsored Breakfast Dialogues Moderator: Elil Renganathan (Malaysia) Public-Private Partnerships in Cancer Control: What Works Across Sectors |
9:00-9:30 | KEYNOTE Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala (Philippines) Nothing About Us Without Us: A People-Powered Movement for Cancer Control in Asia-Pacific |
Theme 1 – The Human Experience of Cancer | |
9:30-9:35 | Chair Introduction Saunthari Somasundaram (Malaysia) Alireza Mosavi-Jarrahi (Iran) |
9:35-9:55 | Jennifer Moodley (South Africa) Charting the Cancer Journey: Turning Lived Experience into Systems Change |
9:55-10:15 | Carolyn Taylor (USA) Meaningful Engagement: Centring Lived Experience in Cancer Policy |
10:15-10:35 | Ophira Ginsburg (Canada) Women, Power and Cancer |
10:35-10:55 | Bogda Koczwara (Australia) Back to Work, Back to Life: A Survivorship Agenda for Asia–Pacific |
10:55-11:15 | Discussion and Closing |
11:15-11:35 | Morning Coffee Break |
Theme 2 – Cancer Burden, Gaps & Priorities | |
11:35-11:40 | Chair Introduction Sumitra Selvaraj (Malaysia) Malcolm A. Moore (Thailand) |
11:40-12:00 | Isabelle Soerjomataram (IARC, France) Cancer Burden in Asia Pacific |
12:00-12:20 | Yek Ching Kong (IARC, France) Paid and Unpaid Productivity Losses from Cancer in Asia–Pacific |
12:20-12:40 | Karla Unger (Mexico) Addressing Fragmentation of Care Through Health-System Change |
12:40-13:00 | C.S. Pramesh (India) Earthshot, Not Moonshot: Priorities for Cancer Research in LMICs |
13:00-13:20 | Discussion and Closing |
13:20-14:20 | Lunch |
Theme 3 – Prevention, Screening & Early Detection | |
14:20-14:25 | Chair Introduction Shazimah Abdul Samad (Malaysia) Keun-Young Yoo (South Korea) |
14:25-14:45 | Partha Basu (IARC, France) Cervical Cancer Elimination in Asia–Pacific: Status and Next Steps |
14:45-15:05 | Woo Yin Ling (Malaysia) Redesigning Cervical Cancer Screening Around Women’s Lives |
15:05-15:25 | Kim Yeol (South Korea) Korea’s Lung Cancer Screening Experience: Lessons for the Region |
15:25-15:45 | Arunah Chandran (IARC, France) Implementation Science for Better Prevention and Early Detection |
15:45-16:05 | Discussion and Closing |
16:05-16:25 | Tea Break |
16:25-17:55 | Competitive Oral Sessions & End of Scientific Programme |
18:30-21:00 | Faculty Dinner |
Wednesday, 30 September 2026 – Conference Day 2 | |
|---|---|
Time | Session |
8:30-9:00 | KEYNOTE Richard Sullivan (UK) The Politics of Cancer Care: Power, Incentives, and Outcomes |
Theme 4 – UHC & Cancer Systems | |
9:00-9:05 | Chair Introduction Murallitharan Munisamy (Malaysia) Jeff Dunn (Australia) |
9:05-9:25 | Elil Renganathan (Malaysia) Integrating the Private Sector in Cancer UHC: From Contracts to Human Outcomes |
9:25-9:45 | Julie Gralow (USA) Access is an Outcome: Rewiring Systems to Close the Cancer Care Gap |
9:45-10:05 | Piya Hanvoravongchai (Thailand) Strategic Purchasing for Universal Health Coverage: Lessons from Thailand |
10:05-10:25 | Beverley Essue (Australia/ Canada) Redefining Universal Health Coverage Through a Human Lens for Cancer |
10:25-10:55 | Discussion and Closing |
10:55-11:15 | Morning Coffee Break |
Theme 5 – Building Capacity & Delivering Cancer Care | |
11:15-11:20 | Chair Introduction Vaishnavi Jeyasingam (Malaysia) Abhishek Shankar (India) |
11:20-11:40 | Voon Pei Jye (Sarawak) Expanding Cancer Care and Clinical Research Capacity in LMICs |
11:40-12:00 | Nazik Hammad (Sudan/ Canada) Building the Cancer Workforce through Partnership, Education, and Inclusion |
12:00-12:20 | Ednin Hamzah (Malaysia) Early Palliative Care as the Standard in Cancer Care |
12:20-12:40 | Ajay Agarwal (UK) Doing More with Less: Quality as a System Strategy |
12:40-13:10 | Discussion and Closing |
13:10-14:10 | Lunch |
Theme 6 – Law, Policy and Reform in Cancer Control | |
14:10-14:15 |
Chair Introduction Melissa Lim Siaw Han (Malaysia) Maqsood Siddiqi (India)
|
14:15-14:35 | Hayley Jones (Australia) Using Law to Tame the Commercial Drivers of Cancer |
14:35-14:55 |
Yuri Ito (Japan) Leveraging Population Data to Drive Evidence-Based Cancer Policy
|
14:55-15:15 |
Mei-Ling Yap (Australia) National Cancer Control Planning and Equity
|
15:15-15:35 |
Susannah Stanway (UK) Climate Change and Cancer
|
15:35-16:05 | Discussion and Closing |
16:05-17:00 | Prize Giving & Closing Ceremony |
17:00-17:30 | Tea Break |