Professor Maeve Lowery:

My colleagues outlined many of the big issues we want to discuss. I am a practising medical oncologist. I treat patients at St. James's Hospital. From the perspectives of the patient and the front-line healthcare staff, it has been a difficult 18 months for cancer patients and those who provide care to patients living with cancer. Our patients face a greater threat than Covid-19 every day. What we have seen over the past year was what research has done in terms of transforming the world when it came to dealing with Covid - vaccines that mean we can sit here today. We cannot yet provide that level of hope for our patients and patients facing a diagnosis of advanced cancer or recalcitrant cancer. We cannot yet expedite the new treatments in the way we have done for Covid-19. We are hoping to provide that drive and hope towards really prioritising cancer. Research provides that innovation and drive for us to do better for our patients. Cancer is a great equaliser. It knows no borders, as Professor Lawler noted. Trials constitute the best way of getting new treatments to patients. We do not want any borders or barriers preventing us from providing that to our patients.