Translating Innovation into Equitable Cancer Control

Abstract Background: The 2026 World Cancer Congress in Hong Kong brought scientific innovation into dialogue with the continuing challenges of implementation, access and equity. The Hong Kong plenary provided a health-system perspective on prevention, surveillance and comprehensive cancer care. Objective: To synthesise the principal congress themes and examine their implications for evidence-based, equitable cancer control. Approach: A narrative review was developed from the supplied congress manuscript, official reporting, the published plenary address, selected primary studies and authoritative public-health sources verified through 6 October 2026. Published population data were used for descriptive trend figures. Main findings: The evidence supports organised low-dose CT screening in high-risk populations, major therapeutic gains from precision oncology in defined settings, and improved performance of selected AI-supported workflows. These benefits depend on diagnostic follow-up, treatment availability, workforce capacity and appropriate governance. Hong Kong’s declining age-standardised cancer mortality contrasts with increasing crude mortality, illustrating the need to distinguish population ageing from changes in age-adjusted risk. Prevention, breast and cervical cancer pathways, supportive care and patient participation remain central. Economic value does not necessarily imply net cost savings. Conclusions: Progress requires coordinated investment across the whole care pathway, with explicit measures of clinical outcomes, access, financial protection and continuity. Technology should be evaluated within the systems that deliver it, while resilience to conflict and climate-related disruption remains integral to cancer control. Keywords: cancer control; health equity; Hong Kong; lung cancer screening; precision oncology; artificial intelligence; implementation.