ESMO 2018 Congress: Young Oncologists Track

The Young Oncologist (YO) Track Sessions are specially designed by young oncologists for young oncologists and initiated by the ESMO Young Oncologist Committee (YOC). The sessions are educational and cover topics which are highly relevant to YOs in their daily practice and/or research activities.

YO Track sessions are always very popular and well attended, and for good reasons: not only do attendees acquire a deeper knowledge on key aspects, but the sessions also provide attendees with a platform for networking with other oncology professionals.

Here below, you can find the overview of the 2018 YO Track which includes practical tips, information and take-home messages from other young oncologists, those who have recently walked the career path you are on now, and senior key opinion leaders.

Vesalius Talk

Friday, 19 October 2018, 17.30-18.30, ICM Foyer

The Vesalius Talk is an excellent opportunity for a direct discussion between young oncologists and more senior opinion leaders in the field of medical oncology. The 2018 Vesalius Talk tackled the sensitive issue of burnout in oncology and the importance of a work-life balance especially at early stages of young oncologist’s career. The audience had the opportunity to ask practical advice from the panel. The session will be followed by networking and refreshments.

Work/life balance at early stages of young oncologist’s career

Panellists

• Solange Peters, CH
• Martine Piccart, BE
• Andrés Cervantes, ES
• Giullem Argilès, ES

YO Session for medical students and new physicians

Saturday, 20 October 2018 15.00-16.00, room 14c ICM

The programme included a session especially dedicated to the ESMO-ESO Student Course on Medical Oncology, chaired by ESMO Educational Committee chair Andrés Cervantes. It started off with practical information and was followed by a poster walk to view and comment on some of the posters presented at the congress.

• ESMO-ESO Medical Students Course - Andrés Cervantes, ES              
• How to prepare and present your first poster at a congress - Anna Berghoff, AT
• Poster walk – Teresa Amaral, PT, Mila Petrova, BG, Anna Berghoff, AT

YO Brunch Sessions

20, 21, 22 October 2018, 11.00-11.45 (ICM)

Practical, personal and professional development tips for YOs during a late morning brunch slot. These sessions delivered in a relaxed and friendly environment with the opportunity to asks questions and enter a discussion, are extremely useful for delegates to learn about tried and tested approaches to developing skills that they can adopt for improving their own academic careers.

• Saturday (room 14c): Fertility and pregnancy in cancer, Fedro Peccatori, IT
• Sunday (room 14a): Breaking bad news: how to deal with end-of-life discussions? Eva Masel, AT
• Monday (room 14a): Biosimilars: what they are and their use in oncology, Rosa Giuliani, IT

YO Masterclass

Sunday, 21 October 2018, 14.30-17.30, room 14c (ICM)

The YO Masterclass, chaired by Guillen Argilés, ES (YOC chair and YO Track chair) and Therese Sørlie, NO (EACR representative) was organised in collaboration with the EACR and features international speakers discussing how genetic data can influence the design of clinical trials

From genetic data to clinical trial design: Joint session EACR and ESMO YOC

• Next generation sequencing of cancer – Nicola Normanno, IT
• Fighting cancer with biomarker data analysis – Stefan Michiels, FR
• Immuno genetics and immuno genomics – Niels Halama, DE
• Crystallising knowledge: new trial designs in the molecular oncology era – Jordi Rodon, US

YO Mentorship Session: Your choice of career path in oncology

Monday, 22 October 2018, 09.30-10.30, room 14c (ICM)

Key opinion leaders shared their experience and vision, both professional and personal, in an informal setting encouraging open conversation with mentors and peers.

• topic 1: Clinical oncology
• topic 2: Basic science
• topic 3: Translational research
• topic 4: Industry

YO Clinical case discussion: Clinical cases of solid tumours: Discussion Forum for Young Oncologists

Monday 22 October 2018, 13.00-14.00, room 14a (ICM)

This is a new and a highly interactive round tables discussion on clinical cases on solid tumours, for a small group of attendees. The expert speakers in each of the 3 topics presented scenarios and guided the discussion along with a YOC member coordinator.

• topic 1: Soft Tissue Sarcoma, Paolo Casali, IT
• topic 2: Prostate Cancer, Johann de Bono, UK     
• topic 3: Non-Small Cell lung cancer, Tanja Cufer, SL

YO Fellowship Session – Fellowships in Europe: Educational opportunities for Young Oncologists

Monday, 22 October 2018, 14.15-15.45, room 14a (ICM)

The fellowship session features presentations by two previous ESMO fellows, who are chosen from a competition open to recent fellowship recipients. Practical advice from a former fellow, Loredana Vecchione, NL and career-impact details from the ESMO Chair of Fellowship & Award Committee Evandro de Azambuia, BE, added to the detailed overview of available ESMO Fellowship and the ESMO Leaders Generation Programme. The 2018 research fellowships awardees and the Best Exam Award 2017 were presented at the end of the session.

YO Forum: Research projects: from ideas to papers

Monday, 22 October 2018, 16.00-17.00, room 14a (ICM)

This session provided hints and tips on the development of a successful research project, overcoming challenges and obstacles and making the most out of it.

• How to select and define your project, Antoni Ribas, US
• How to write a proficient project and get it financed, Luis Paz Ares, ES
• Dealing with obstacles faced during your project, David Olmos, ES
• Maximising your clinical investigations: how to structure your paper, David Olmos, ES