Past editions

At ELCC 2021, Prof. Fiona Blackhall sees hope for improving patients’ poor prognoses on the horizon  

With multiple new therapies available, Prof. Johan Vansteenkiste says the search is on for biomarkers to better match patients to treatments 

With the growing use of real-world evidence (RWE) to support regulatory approvals of new anti-cancer medicines in Europe and the USA, can this type of research ensure greater inclusion of women, the elderly, diverse ethnic groups, those with rare cancers and other under-represented populations in oncology studies?

According to Prof. Urania Dafni, high quality real-world evidence can provide broader information and more generalisable conclusions to verify the clinical applicability of evidence from RCTs 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, real-world data have shown they can support clinical decision-making in complex situations but extensive bureaucracy is still a limiting factor

Promising results with cancer vaccines based on specific antigen mutations in individual tumours, and typically used in combination with checkpoint inhibitors, are fuelling an upsurge of interest in cancer vaccination for patients with established cancer, explains Prof. Pedro Romero. 

However, researchers’ concerns about missing opportunities to publish their real-world evidence-based papers in high-ranked scientific journals are justified to some extent due to lack of ‘best practices’ from publishers and suitable peer reviewers for these study designs

While locally tailored cancer screening programmes, particularly for cervical cancer, are showing encouraging results in some areas with limited resources, cancer care is still suffering some bottlenecks due to lack of training for healthcare staff and shortages of medicines

Medical oncologists have traditionally played a marginal role in helping drive the adoption of preventive lifestyles, “but now it is time to strengthen our commitment” says ESMO President

A virtual space where to reflect on sustainability in cancer care - Authored by Dario Trapani.

This year’s recipient of the TAT Honorary Award Prof. Ruth Plummer, retraces the most significant milestones of her career in early phase studies 

At an ESMO Live Roundtable, a panel of experts discussed the benefits and risk of COVID-19 vaccination in patients with cancer, the practicalities of vaccinating those undergoing immunosuppressant treatment and the potential advantages and disadvantages of flexible dosing intervals.

Despite alternative modes of administering anticancer medicines have reinforced the idea that at-home cancer care may be sometimes feasible as well as preferred by patients, there are concerns about costs of and accessibility to these new opportunities. 

Dr Stefan Zimmermann, ESMO Perspectives Editor-in-Chief, explains the key aspects of a new scenario in oncology emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite some share the concern of having their career plans delayed or disrupted by the pandemic, the new challenges emerged in these unprecedented times represent a unique opportunity to grow-up as oncology professionals and get ready to a new scenario where team working, humanisation of care and virtual education will be more crucial than ever.

2019 marks the 30th Anniversary of the ESMO Fellowship Programme, a programme that has helped young oncologists to enhance their careers like Giannis Mountzios, Henry Dunant Hospital Center, Athens, Greece, who had the opportunity to broaden his experience internationally.

Françoise Mornex, Université Claude Bernard, Lyon, France, made history this year when she became the first woman to receive the Heine H. Hansen Award, in recognition of her contribution to the field of lung cancer. She talks about her passion for her work and teaching and keeping the flame of interest alight.

Shortages of inexpensive essential cancer medicines is a growing emergency in Europe, although the size of the problem is still uncertain as data are lacking. ESMO is at the forefront in order to drive concerted and collaborative action. A call to action was launched last April as the issue cannot be tackled by countries individually and establishing a strong European leadership is crucial.

LGP in Asia

The first ESMO Leaders Generation Programme (LGP) Asia will be a four-day course held in Singapore from 18 to 21 November 2019. The course will provide participants with an overview of how ESMO works, offering workshops, discussions and hands-on media and leadership skills training. The programme is aimed at qualified medical or clinical oncologists, working in the Asia-Pacific region and who are ESMO members aged between 31 and 45.

Pioneering work by Joan Seoane and colleagues from Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology in Barcelona makes use of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to detect circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA)  in patients with brain tumours. Where blood and plasma analysis have failed, a new era for liquid biopsies based on different physiological fluids for different tumour types is on the horizon.

An innovative approach

Sex- and gender-sensitive medicine postulates that differences in biological sex, gender identity, role and relations all impact health and disease, and may have implications for prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment. Its goal is to learn from these differences to improve care and treatment for men and women.

While patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are now an integral part of many phase III trials, their incorporation into routine clinical practice is hampered by economic and time pressures among healthcare professionals. However, with the advent of electronic-based questionnaires, current boundaries are likely to be stretched.

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are battery-powered products that create an aerosol by heating a liquid consisting of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin and flavouring agents. The liquid may or may not (but usually does) contain nicotine, at variable doses. Differently from conventional cigarettes, there is no combustion of tobacco in ENDS, thus making people think they cause less harm. However, the varying voltage that is applied to the liquid creates a mixture of potentially toxic substances in the aerosols that are then inhaled by users.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a National Cancer Control Plan as ‘a public health programme designed to reduce cancer incidence and mortality and improve quality of life of cancer patients, through the systematic and equitable implementation of evidence-based strategies for prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and palliation, making the best use of available resources’.

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