NEWS

EORTC held its annual General Assembly on 26 June 2026, introducing Professor Benjamin Besse as EORTC’s new President. He succeeds Prof. Winette van der Graaf, who concludes a distinguished four-year term.

Commenting on his appointment, Professor Besse said:

“I am honoured by the trust the Board has placed in me and would like to sincerely thank Winette van der Graaf for her outstanding leadership over the past four years. Her vision and dedication have left a strong legacy and significantly advanced EORTC’s mission. Together, we will continue our work in independent, patient-centred research, improving cancer care across Europe and beyond.”

Watch Professor Besse’s full interview here.

Professor Besse is a medical oncologist specialising in thoracic cancers and currently serves as Director of Clinical Research at Gustave Roussy, one of Europe’s leading cancer centres. He previously led the Department of Oncology Medicine at the same institution.

His work focuses on developing more personalised cancer treatments by studying the unique characteristics of a patient’s tumour and identifying new ways to detect and treat cancer. Over the course of his career, he has published more than 500 scientific papers and has led numerous clinical trials testing new cancer treatments.

Professor Besse has also played a major role within EORTC, helping to guide its research programmes and scientific priorities. He previously chaired EORTC’s Lung Cancer Group and served on EORTC’s scientific leadership team.

We wish him the best in this important new role.

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