From a keynote lecture pinpointing the hallmarks of cancer in the current year through the reinforced commitment towards more academic input in the drug development process for better cancer care, and then further down to the dramatic scenarios brought by the too many situations of crisis in the world which have an unbearable impact on patients with cancer and the care they are offered: the ESMO Congress 2023 programme has been hailed as “the greatest oncology meeting”, the “best ESMO ever” on social media by eager registered participants and brilliant scientists that admit they cannot wait to see the incredible presentations ahead just based on the abstract titles and few anticipations in the oncology circles.
The full congress programme, i.e, including educational sessions, special symposia, sponsored satellite symposia, the patient advocacy track, the nursing programme and other sessions, is available online, also with abstracts as well as late-breaking abstract titles.
To help press representatives navigate the 5 intense days of lectures, discussions, thoughtful insights on old problems, new data and upcoming challenges, here are some suggestions as to what to look out for (or not to miss):
Phase-3 clinical trials (therefore with a high potential to change or at least shape the clinical practice) in a multitude of disease settings, including:
Lung cancer, with promising advances presented in the Presidential Session 1 (LBA1, LBA2, LBA4, LBA5) and Presidential Session 3 (LBA12, LBA14, LBA15)
Gynaecological cancers, with, among others, new results that cover the entire spectrum of cervical cancer, presented in Presidential Session 2 (LBA8, LBA9), Proffered Paper Session 1 (LBA36, LBA38, LBA39) and Proffered Paper session 2 (LBA40, LBA41)
Genito-urinary cancers, with some first-of-its kind trials addressing bladder cancer, presented in Presidential Session 2 (LBA6, LBA7)
Gastrointestinal cancers, presented in Presidential Session 2 (LBA10)
Breast cancer, presented in the Presidential Session 3 (LBA11)
On top of the highly awaited Presidential sessions (this year fully packed), numerous oral, mini-oral and poster sessions will add to the wealth of clinical and research advances in numerous disease settings, from promising phase 2 trials in lung cancer (LBA92) to innovative approaches in difficult-to-treat diseases, such as neuroendocrine tumours (725MO).
To complement the abundance of promising clinical data, innovative studies will investigate the relationship between air pollution and cancer (238MO), going down the path of what was one of the top highlights from the ESMO Congress 2022 (1), opening up new avenues of research and critical policy action for preventative measures.
Directly related to the issue of pollution and cancer, a special session dedicated to how to build more sustainable and environment-friendly oncology care will offer the opportunity to learn more and discuss the impact of climate changes on patients, doctors and health infrastructures.
People themselves and health infrastructures must look for and find resilience sources to ensure the present and future of the oncology workforce, according to the latest projections of cancer cases (special session).
Together with other relevant congress highlights, the relationship between pollution and cancer risks and the resilience of the healthcare system, will be the topics also explored in depth at the ESMO 2023 Opening Press Conference, which will be held onsite and virtually accessible for accredited press representatives, on Friday, 20 October, 10:30-11:15 CEST. These themes will be discussed by:
Andrés Cervantes, INCLIVA – Biomedical Research Institute, Spain – ESMO President
Silke Gillessen, Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland (IOSI), Switzerland – ESMO 2023 Scientific Chair
Jean-Yves Blay, Centre Léon Bérard, France – ESMO Director for Public Policy
Angela Lamarca, Fundacion Jimenez Diaz University Hospital, Spain - ESMO 2023 Press Officer
To attend the Opening Press Conference, press representatives must be accredited for the congress. Please, make sure to submit your request for accreditation before Monday, 16 October.
Other session (Educational session , Patient Advocacy session) will delve into the many and multi-faceted aspects of cancer care which are as important as clinical trial results if equal care is to be guaranteed to all patients wherever they live, in accordance with the highest principles of universal health coverage as recently declared at the UN High-Level meetings in New York.
With the objective of providing accredited press representatives the opportunity to collect independent reviews on the studies that will be presented during the Presidential Session, the Daily Press Briefings are organized to offer them a dedicated space to ask individual questions to the discussants of the presidential studies, and collect their opinions to have an enriched context within which to place key studies’ data that will be disclosed later in the day. The format of the briefing will be a 45-minutes Q&A moderated session. Please, note that all the briefings are embargoed, and will be held on Saturday 21, Sunday 22 and Monday 23 October from 12:30 to 13:15 CEST in the Press Conference room at South Convention Center (level 1).
Of possible interest to press representatives to know where to look for the latest peer-reviewed science for their research and writing work, the "Meet & greet the Editors in Chief" event is organized to get to the heart of the established and the new ESMO journals, offering the opportunity to hear from the respective Editors in Chief how these journals will make sure to capture the essence of the new developments in oncology and related fields, including the most recent real-world data and artificial intelligence topics. The event will be held on Saturday 22 from 9:15-9:55 CEST and will offer the opportunity to ask individual questions to:
Florian Lordick and Irit Ben-Aharon, Editors in Chief of ESMO Gastrointestinal Oncology
Giuseppe Curigliano, Editor in Chief of ESMO Open
John Haanen, Editor in Chief of IOTECH
Rodrigo Dienstmann, Editor in Chief of ESMO Real World Data and Digital Oncology
Thomas Powles, Editor in Chief of Annals of Oncology
Press accreditations
ESMO welcomes press representatives working for recognised press outlets interested in obtaining information and reporting on cancer issues, upon presentation of a letter of assignment and a valid press card. Press representatives are required to observe and abide by the ESMO Policy on Press Activities and the embargo schedule for the ESMO Congress 2023. To apply for press accreditation, please fill out the form available here.
Further information
ESMO Press Office
press@esmo.org
-END-
Notes to Editors
Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports ESMO 2023 and the official congress hashtag on social media #ESMO23. Follow it to stay up to date and use it to take part in the conversation on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook
References
1 Swanton C et al. “Mechanism of action and an actionable inflammatory axis for air pollution induced non-small cell lung cancer: Towards molecular cancer prevention”. Presented at ESMO Congress 2022, Paris, France Presidential Symposium, LBA1.
About the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)
Representing more than 32,000 oncology professionals from 170 countries worldwide, ESMO is a reference for oncology education and information. Driven by a shared determination to secure the best possible outcomes for patients, ESMO is committed to standing by those who care about cancer through addressing the diverse needs of #ONEoncologycommunity, offering #educationforLIFE, and advocating for #accessiblecancerCARE. www.esmo.org
END
