PRC Seminar 2026

The scientific program of the PRC Seminar is shaped by the research community and reflects the work being done by the PRC. Major parts of the program are built on submitted abstracts, ensuring it reflects ongoing research as well as current research priorities, innovation, and emerging evidence in palliative care.

We are proud of our inclusive, supportive, and welcoming ethos, and warmly invite researchers, clinicians, doctoral candidates, postdoctoral fellows, and professionals working in palliative care to submit their work for consideration.

“A SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM BUILT ON SUBMITTED ABSTRACTS”

All abstracts undergo peer review by the Scientific Committee. The highest-ranked submissions will be selected for oral presentation, and some authors may be invited to deliver keynote presentations.

We aim to offer a high proportion of oral presentations to provide researchers with the opportunity to showcase their work in a constructive and encouraging environment. Abstracts not selected for oral presentation will be invited to present as posters. Dedicated poster tours led by the Scientific Committee will create structured opportunities for discussion and engagement.

Awards will be presented during the seminar for:

• Best Oral Presentation
• Best Poster Presentation

Submission Themes

We welcome submissions that reflect the diversity, innovation, and breadth of research within palliative care, including (but not limited to):

• Health technology and digital innovation
• Symptom and functional assessment and management
• Palliative care models
• Communication and shared decision-making
• European Collaboration
• Education and workforce development
• Implementation science

Original research is encouraged. We also welcome abstracts describing a program of research, a coherent body of work, or doctoral (PhD) research within a specific area.

Doctoral and postdoctoral researchers are especially encouraged to submit.

Abstract Requirements

All abstracts must include:

• Author and co-author names
• Affiliation details (department, institution, country)
• Abstract title
• Abstract text (maximum 250 words)
• Language: English

Submission Process and Key Dates

• Abstracts must be submitted via the online submission portal: SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT HERE
• Submission deadline: 7 June 2026
• Notification of outcome: Mid-July 2026

Registration for the seminar will open soon. All presenters must register to attend the seminar.

We look forward to receiving your submission and welcoming you to the PRC Seminar.

G.W. Hanks Award

The G. W. Hanks Award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding and sustained contributions to palliative care research through scholarly excellence, long‑term commitment, and significant impact on the field.

The European Palliative Care Research Centre is proud to honor Professor Irene J. Higginson with the G. W. Hanks Award and to welcome her as Honorary Lecturer at the PRC Seminar 2026.

Professor Higginson is a globally recognized leader in palliative care whose pioneering research in symptom assessment, outcome measurement, and evidence‑based service development has shaped international standards and influenced clinical practice and health policy worldwide. Her sustained leadership, strong commitment to patient‑centred care, and profound impact on palliative medicine make her an outstanding and highly deserving recipient of this award.

Professor Higginson will deliver the G. W. Hanks Honorary Lecture during the seminar, marking a highlight of the programme.

Day 1, 10. November 2026 

• 7:30–8:45 Registration and Poster Setup
• 9:00–9:20 Welcome and Opening Remarks 
  • Prof. Stein Kaasa, Director of PRC, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Norway 
  • Prof. Barry Laird, Scientific Committee Lead, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Norway 
  • Dr. Jesús González-Barboteo, Local Committee Lead, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Spain 
  • Prof. Joan Brunet, General Director, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Spain 
  • Prof. Ernest Nadal, Director of Research and Innovation, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Spain
• 9:20-9:35 Welcome lecture 
  Integration Of Palliative Care At ICO: A Comprehensive Cancer Centre 
  Perspective 
  • Jesús González-Barboteo, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Spain  
• 9:35-10:45 From Low Tech To High Tech: Researching Technological Innovations For Palliative Care
  • Chairs: (TBA) 
• 9:35–9:55 Technology And Palliative Care: A Changing Landscape  
  • Christoph Ostgathe, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Germany 
• 9:55–10:10 Abstract: Technical Considerations for Integrating Electronic Patient Reported Outcome Measures into Electronic Health Record Systems: A Practical Framework for Clinicians 
  • Floortje van der Geest, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), University of Groningen (RUG), the Netherlands 
• 10:10–10:25 Abstract: Co-designing scalable digital patient centred care in oncology: Insights from the MyPath & ESMO DC Workshop 
  • Morena Shkodra, Oslo University Hospital, Norway 
• 10:25–10:40 Abstract: TBC 
• 10:45–11:30 Coffee Break | Poster Session 
• 11:30–13:15 Innovations In Patient‑Centred Care Models 
  • Chairs: (TBA) 
• 11:30–11:50 Advance Care Planning And Incorporation Into The Digital Health Record 
  • Breffni Hannon, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada 
• 11:50–12:05 Abstract: Early Supportive vs Standard Care in Phase I Cancer Trials: A Randomized Controlled Trial 
  • Anna Casellas-Grau, Observatory of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Spain
• 12:05–12:20 Abstract: Distress Trajectories in Hematologic Malignancies: Relevance for Timely Palliative Care Integration 
  • Simone Boesch, University Teaching Hospital Feldkirch, Austria 
• 12:20–12:35 Abstract: Indicators for Assessing the Integration of Palliative Care into Routine Cancer Care: A Scoping Review
  •  Miguel Mateu-Sanz, Institut Català d'Oncologia (ICO) - L'Hospitalet, Research and Knowledge Group in Palliative Care (GRICOPAL) - IDIBELL, Spain 
• 12:35-12:50 Abstract: Palliative care day hospital for patients with advanced cancer: a French multicentric randomized clinical trial 
  • Carole Bouleuc, Cheffe de département Soins de Support et Soins Palliatifs de l'Institut Curie Paris, France 
• 12:50-13:05 Abstract: Preliminary results of the MISTRAL randomized trial: structured PROM-driven interventions improve distress in outpatient oncology 
  palliative care 
  • Giacomo Massa, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Italy 
• 13:15-13:30 Walk to lunch 
• 13:30–14:30 Lunch & Networking 
• 14:30-14:45 Walk back from lunch 
• 14:45–16:15 Advancing End-of-Life Care: New Research and Clinical Practice
  • Chairs: (TBA) 
• 14:45–15:05 Findings From The IHOD (InHOspital Dying) Study 
  • Pål Klepstad, St Olav University Hospital and Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway 
• 15:05–15:20 Abstract: Wish to Hasten Death in the Outermost Region of the Azores: A Bioethical Perspective based on a Qualitative Study with Interviews and Focus Groups 
  • Sandra Martins Pereira, CEEAplA, Fundação Gaspar Frutuoso, Universidade dos Açores, Portugal  
• 15:20–15:35 Findings From The Chelsea Study 
  • Barry Laird, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom 
• 15:35–15:50 Abstract: TBC 
• 16:00-16:15 Short break - Leg stretch 
• 16:15–17:15 Symptom Management In Palliative Care
  • Chairs: (TBA) 
• 16:15–16:35 Symptom Management In Palliative Care: Needs, Guidelines, and Digital Futures  
  • Paul Howard, Mountbatten Hospice and St Mary’s Hospital, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom 
• 16:35–16:50 Abstract: Pooled analysis of three recent, large, multi-site placebocontrolled RCTs of regular, low-dose sustained morphine for the 
  symptomatic reduction of chronic breathlessness in COPD 
  • David Currow, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Australia
•  16:50–17:05 Abstract: Impact of Opioids on Survival and Symptom Control in Patients with Cancer Treated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis 
  • Agnès Calsina-Berna, Catalan Institute of Oncology (GRICOPAL), Spain 
• 17:15– Closing Remarks 
  TBA– Social Event
  • Sant Pau Modernist Complex | Guided Tour (75 min) followed by 
  • Social gathering with light food and refreshments 
    Directions: Carrer de Sant Antoni Maria Claret, 167, Horta-Guinardó, 08025 Barcelona

Day 2, 11. November 2026 

• 8:00–8:25 Special Morning Session: TBC 
• 7:30–8:20 Registration and Poster Setup
• 8:30–8:45 Welcome 
  • Speaker: (TBA)  
• 8:45–10:45 Collaborating for Clinical Impact: Advancing Patient-Centred Care 
  Across Europe 
  • Chairs: (TBA) 
• 8:50-9:00 How To Implement Palliative Care Into Mainstream Cancer Care?  
  • Stein Kaasa, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Norway 
• 9:00-9:08 EUnetCCC (WP8) 
  • Josep M. Borràs, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain 
• 9:08–9:16 JANE2 (WP6) 
  • Augusto Caraceni, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Italy 
• 9:16–9:24 PAL-CYCLES 
  • Jeroen Hasselaar, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands 
• 9:24–9:32 MyPath  
  • Tonje Lundeby, Oslo University hospital and University of Oslo, Norway 
• 9:32-9:40 PREFERABLE 
  • Anouk Hiensch, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands 
• 9:40-9:48 ENACT-65 
  • Barry Laird, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Norway 
• 9:48-9:56 Quality of Life – Patient Centred Care (QoL-PCC) Cluster 
  • (TBC) 
• 9:56-10:04 EUonQoL 
  • Katrine Rolid, Oslo University Hospital, Norway  
• 10:04-10:12 INSPIRE 
  • Matthew Maddocks, Kings College London, United Kingdom 
• 10:15-10:45 Panel Discussion 
  • Moderators: (TBA)
  • Panelist: 
    Josep M. Borràs, Augusto Caraceni, Jeroen Hasselaar, Tonje Lundeby, 
    Matthew Maddocks, Barry Laird, Anouk Hiensch, Katrine Rolid and TBA. 
• 10:45–11:30 Coffee Break | Poster Session 
• 11:30–12:15 Award Ceremony – G. W. Hanks Lecture 
  • Chair(s): (TBA) 
  • Award winner: Professor Irene J. Higginson, Cicely Saunders Institute and King’s College London, United Kingdom 
  • Honorary Lecture: (TBA) 
• 12:15–12:30 Walk to lunch 
• 12:30–13:30 Lunch & Networking 
• 13:30–13:45 Walk back from lunch 
• 13:45–15:00 Advancing Practice Through Education and Implementation 
  • Chairs: (TBA) 
• 13:45–14:05 Ethics In The Development And Implementation Of Novel Interventions In Clinical Research In Palliative Care 
  • Sandra Martins Pereira, CEEAplA, Fundação Gaspar Frutuoso, Universidade dos Açores, Portugal  
• 14:05-14:20 Abstract: Palliative medicine deserves its place: a European taxonomy of official recognition pathways for physician training 
  • Carlos Centeno, ATLANTES Global Observatory of Palliative Care, University of Navarra, Spain, Spain 
• 14:20-14:35 Education And Workforce Development 
  • Nicoleta Mitrea, University of Transilvania and Hospice Casa Sperantei, Brașov, Romania 
• 14:35-14:50 Abstract: Does training in spiritual care improve palliative care 
  professionals’ self-care and quality of life? A pre-post interventional 
  study 
  • María Nabal-Vicuña, Hospital Universitario Arnau de Vilanova Lleida, Spain 
• 15:00–15:20 Closing Lecture 
  • Chairs: (TBA) 
  • Lecture title: (TBA) 
  • Speaker: (TBA) 
• 15:20–16:00 Closing Remarks and Awards 
  • Best Oral Presentation 
  • Best Poster Presentation 
• 16:00–  End of seminar and departure 
  Safe travels

PDF version of the preliminary programme can be found here(PDF).

*Please note that this is a preliminary program and is subject to change. 

Registration for the PRC Seminar 2026 is now open!

We are pleased to announce that registration for the PRC Seminar 2026 is officially open.

For full details and registration, please visit: Research & Innovation: Shaping the Future of Palliative Care – e-oncology

You can select your preferred language (English, Spanish, or Portuguese) using the menu in the upper right corner of the registration page.

Conference fees:

• Early bird registration (until 31 August 2026): €485
• Standard registration (from 1 September 2026): €580

The seminar will bring together international researchers and clinicians in palliative cancer care, offering a unique opportunity to share research, exchange knowledge, and strengthen collaborations across disciplines and countries.

We look forward to welcoming you to Barcelona!