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CANCERSurvey Landing Page2026-09-04T12:00:09+02:00

Your experience can help improve cancer care across Europe

CANCERSurvey asks cancer patients, survivors and caregivers about their experiences.
Your answers will help people and organisations who speak up for patients call for better care across Europe.

 

This survey is for people whose cancer was diagnosed in adulthood (age 18+), and their caregivers.

25 minutes to complete   ·   15 languages   ·   Anonymous and voluntary   ·   Open until 16 November 2026

ABOUT THE STUDY

What this survey is about

CANCERSurvey – the Cancer Advocacy Network Comparison of Experience Research Survey – is a European study about people’s experiences of cancer care. It is run by WECAN through the European Patient Advocacy Institute (EPAI), with support from the international health research charity Picker.

The survey asks about your experience of cancer care, including diagnosis, treatment, communication, support, and life after treatment. Your answers will help patient organisations understand what is working well and where care needs to improve.

You will not receive personal feedback from taking part. But when your answers are combined with thousands of others, they can help show what needs to improve in cancer care.


23 overarching cancer types covered


15 languages
available


~ 900 patient organisations


~ 25 minutes
to complete

Who can take part

You can take part if you are aged 18 or over, live in a European country, and one of the following is true:

Cancer Patient

You have been diagnosed with cancer as an adult.

Cancer Survivor

You have completed treatment and are living after a cancer diagnosis received as an adult (aged 18 or older).

Caregiver

You care for, or have cared for, someone who was diagnosed with cancer as an adult (aged 18 or older), and are answering from their point of view as best you can.

Answering on someones behalf?

If you are answering for someone else, this is called a proxy response. Please answer the questions based on their experience. If you are helping someone understand the questions or enter their answers, the answers should still be theirs. For example, you might help because of language, tiredness or disability.

You do not need to belong to a patient organisation to take part. We especially want to hear from people who are not already connected to patient networks because their experiences are often missing from research.

IF YOU NEED SUPPORT

Some questions are about sensitive experiences and may feel difficult to answer. You can skip questions you do not want to answer and you can stop at any time.

Please note: the research team will read answers as part of the study, but they cannot respond to individual survey responses. If you need help or support, please use the contacts below.

WECAN can help point you to support in your country.

 

If you’re in immediate distress, please contact your local emergency number or a crisis line in your country.

You’ll see a link to this support information at the start of the survey. You will also see it if the survey shows that you do meet the criteria to take part.

Privacy & consent at a glance

  • The survey is anonymous. We do not ask for your name, address, or other details that directly identify you.  

  • Participation is voluntary. You can stop at any time, and you can skip questions you’d rather not answer.

  • Your answers will be handled in line with EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

  • Data is stored securely by Picker, the research partner running the survey platform.

  • Reports will only show anonymised results combined from many people. They will not include individual answers.

  • The anonymous survey data will be kept securely by the European Patient Advocacy Institute and Picker for 10 years. Because it is anonymous, it cannot be linked back to you. Keeping it for 10 years can help researchers compare results over time and understand how cancer care changes in the future

  • You can read the Picker Privacy Notice (Privacy notice for online surveys | Picker) for more information about how your data is handled.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Anyone aged 18 or over, living in a European country, who has been diagnosed with cancer at age 18 or older, has survived cancer diagnosed at age 18 or older, or is a caregiver for someone with cancer who was diagnosed at age 18 or older (including someone who has died).

No. Participation is entirely voluntary and will not affect your current or future care. 

About 25 minutes. You can leave and come back later. Your answers will be saved, as long as cookies are enabled and you use the same device and browser.   

Yes – the survey is available in 15 languages: Bulgarian, Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, and Swedish. 

Yes – the survey works on mobile phones, tablets, and computers in any modern browser. 

Yes. If you care for, or cared for, someone with cancer, you can complete the survey from their point of view. Please describe their experience, rather than your own. Some questions may feel difficult, especially if the person has died. You can leave questions blank if you prefer, and support information is listed above. 

We encourage patients to answer for themselves wherever they can, since their own experience account is best. But we recognise that some people may be too unwell or tired to complete the survey on their own. If carers couldn’t step in, we’d end up missing the experiences of people who are struggling the most, and those are often the experiences we most need to hear. 

The first questions in the survey help us make sure the survey is right for you. This study is looking at specific experiences of cancer care, so only people who meet the criteria can take part. This helps make sure the results are accurate, meaningful and useful for improving care. If you are not eligible, you will see a link to support resources for people affected by cancer. 

It covers your experience along the whole cancer pathway: how and when you were diagnosed, the treatment and care you received, communication with healthcare professionals, support during and after treatment, and life post-treatment. It asks about your experience, not clinical details a doctor would record. Demographic questions (such as age and gender) help us understand whether some people’s experiences of care differ from others. 

You can skip any question except the first five, which confirm whether you can take part. If you need a break, you can leave the survey and come back later. Your answers will be saved if cookies are enabled and you use the same device and browser. 

CANCERSurvey is an initiative of WECAN (Workgroup of European Cancer Patient Advocacy Networks), delivered by the European Patient Advocacy Institute (EPAI) on behalf of WECAN, in collaboration with Picker, an international health research charity. A Steering Committee of WECAN affiliate patient organisations provides oversight.

Yes. The survey does not ask for your name, address, or other details that directly identify you. Your anonymous survey responses will be kept securely by Picker and the European Patient Advocacy Institute for 10 years, so it can continue to support research and improvements in cancer care over time. Picker complies with data protection law including GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Market Research Society’s Code of Conduct.  You can read the Picker Privacy Notice for online surveys, for full details: Privacy notice for online surveys | Picker 

Your responses will be looked at alongside answers from people with different cancers and in different countries. This will help show what is working well and where care needs to improve. The results will be shared in reports, but only in a way that combines many people’s answers. The findings will help healthcare professionals, policymakers, patient organisations, regulators, the pharmaceutical industry and HTA bodies (organisations that decide whether health technologies are safe, work well, and offer good value for money), better understand current care and address unequal experiences. Your individual answers are never shared. 

 

Yes. Some industry partners provided funding and were able to give comments or suggestions. However, the WECAN Steering Committee makes the final decisions about the survey content and analysis, so the study stays focused on patient needs. 

I have a question that isn’t answered here.

To speak to someone about the survey, contact the Picker project team at cancersurvey@pickereurope.ac.uk. For information about patient support groups for people diagnosed with cancer, please visit this signposting page.

Ready when you are.

It takes about 25 minutes. Your answers will be part of the largest cross-cancer patient experience study ever run in Europe.

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Questions about the survey?

If you have a practical question about completing the survey, email the Picker project team at cancersurvey@pickereurope.ac.uk

If you have questions about the support you need, or about cancer care in general, our signposting page lists patient organisations that can help – or contact us at cancersurvey@wecanadvocate.eu.

PROJECT NEWS

Supporters

Support for the study was provided by the following industry partners. These supporters were able to offer input and suggestions, while the Steering Committee retained final decision-making authority to ensure alignment with patient needs.

Contact Us

info@wecanadvocate.eu

Privacy Policy

 

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1051LH – Amsterdam,
The Netherlands

 

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