Why precision medicine in cancer care? Because each patient’s cancer is unique and may respond differently to the standard treatment approach.
The theme for ESMO 2014: ‘Precision Medicine in Cancer Care’ was chosen to drive dynamic discussions and knowledge exchange in an environment of world-class experts dedicated to improving research, patient treatment and outcome. Here, we highlight sessions which look at this subject in more detail.
CNS tumours
Special Symposium: Current concepts and future avenues in meningioma
Objectives: Understanding the challenges and morbidity of this non-malignant disease • Biological insight to pave the way to novel and targeted treatments • Indications and limitations of the current standard of care of the various meningioma subtypes
- Sunday 28 September 2014, 14:15-15:45
- Chair: J.Tonn – Munich/DE, Co-Chair: M.Preusser – Vienna/AT
Developmental therapeutics
Special Symposium: Molecular profiling – challenges and perspectives
Objectives: From a viewpoint of drug development in general, this session should represent the missing link between the basic science/translational research sessions and the still organ-oriented sessions • To what extent precision medicine based on molecular profiling has reached the clinical reality of today • Potential problems faced when integrating precision medicine into oncologic management
- Sunday 28 September 2014, 09:00-10:30
- Chair: C. Dittrich – Vienna/AT, Co-Chair: J.C. Soria - Villejuif/FR
Gastrointestinal tumours
Special Symposium: Advances in precision medicine of metastatic colorectal cancer
Objectives: Insight into the future molecular understanding of mCRC, leading to a (potential) new classification and the consecutive development of therapeutics • New classes of anticancer treatments in this disease, e.g. immunotherapy
- Sunday 28 September 2014, 14:15-15:45
- Chair: W. Steward – Leicester/UK, Co-Chair: T. Seufferlein – Ulm/DE
Special Symposium: Towards personalised medicine in gastric, pancreatic and liver cancer – from “omics” research to treatment
Objectives: To offer attendees the possibility to get a clear picture of how new developments in “omics” may potentially translate into clinical actions for patients with gastric, pancreatic and liver cancers
- Monday 29 September 2014, 16:00-17:30
- Chair: E. Martinelli – Napoli/IT, Co-Chair: M. Ducreux – Villejuif/FR
Genitourinary tumours
Patient cases: Multimodal treatment approaches in bladder cancer
- Saturday 27 September 2014, 08:00-09:00
- Co-Chairs: T.Lebret – Suresnes/FR, N.James – Birmingham/UK, D.Solit – New York, NY/US
Special Symposium: Precision medicine in prostate cancer
Objectives: To provide Insight in prostate cancer biology and heterogeneity, provide rationale and link current therapy/drug development to the impetus for disease biology • Inform on biomarker development and on current precision medicine perspectives specific to prostate cancer
- Saturday 27 September 2014, 14:00-15:50
- Chair: M. Rubin – New York/US, Co-Chair: E. Efstathiou – Houston/US
Special Symposium: Beyond tumour heterogeneity – new pathways in kidney cancer
Objectives: To present the latest molecular classification of kidney cancer and discuss relevance for practising clinicians • Highlight major clinical problems such as drug resistance and lack of predictive biomarkers for drug therapies • Focus on new targets and drugs, particularly immunotherapies such as anti-PD1 agents
- Monday 29 September 2014, 09:15-10.45
- Chair: V.Grunwald – Hannover/DE, Co-Chair: C.N. Sternberg – Roma/IT
Head & Neck Cancer
Objectives: To discuss therapeutic perspectives for squamous cell carcinoma, including immunotherapy, according to novel targets and better individual patient selection • Identify therapeutic targets for salivary gland cancers, still orphan diseases • Integrate innovative technology for next generation trials based on biological tumour characteristics
Special Symposium: Personalised medicine in head and neck cancer
- Saturday 27 September 2014, 11:00-12:30
- Chair: S.Faivre – Clichy/FR, Co-Chair: J.J Grau – Barcelona/ES
Immunotherapy
Keynote Lecture: Delivering precision immunotherapy
- Saturday 27 September 2014, 13:00-13:45
- Chair: Chair: G.Coukos – Lausanne/CH
Public Health and Economics
Special Symposium: The impact on health services from personalised targeted therapies
Objectives: The budgetary impact of the cost of new diagnostic procedures and therapies and the changes in health services associated with them • Integration of all aspects of cancer care – ranging from health promotion to rehabilitation, reintegration and palliation
- Monday 29 September 2014, 14:15-15:45
- Chair: J.Borras – Barcelona/ES, Co-Chair: T.Albreht – Ljubljana/SI
Supportive and Palliative Care
Special Symposium: Targeting precision medicine toxicity
Objectives: to learn about the completely different side effects from all the new therapies available over the past years
- Saturday 27 September 2014, 15:55-17:30
- Chair: M.Dicato – Luxembourg/LU, Co-Chair: F.Roila – Terni/IT