LUGANO-MADRID – ESMO 2017 was a truly global event with nearly 24,000 participants from 131 countries. The ten countries with the most delegates were the USA, France, Spain, UK, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, China, Japan, and Russia.
A record number of abstracts were submitted, with 1,736 selected for presentation. (1) Groundbreaking research was revealed in 55 late breaking abstracts.
ESMO 2017 research was simultaneously published in leading scientific journals including the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), Lancet Oncology and Annals of Oncology.
Practice-changing studies presented at ESMO 2017 include:
- PACIFIC: new standard of care for locally advanced, unresectable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
- IFCT-0302: questionned regular computed tomography (CT) scans in resected NSCLC.
- COMBI-AD: new adjuvant treatment option for high-risk melanoma.
- CheckMate 238: improved adjuvant therapy for patients with surgically resected stage III/IV melanoma at high risk of relapse.
- LORELEI: greater tumour shrinkage in estrogen receptor positive and HER2 negative early breast cancer.
- MONARCH 3: improved outcomes with a new initial strategy for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive, HER2 negative advanced breast cancer.
- ARIEL 3: new maintenance therapy for recurrent ovarian cancer.
- RANGE: promising treatment for advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer.
- CheckMate 214: combination therapy reduces kidney cancer death risk.
Researchers also highlighted the importance of preventing cancer. “Forty percent of cancers are preventable,” said Prof Josep Tabernero, ESMO President-Elect.
“Oncology is not only about medicines,” he continued. “We should emphasise lifestyle changes that would reduce the incidence of cancer; stop smoking, reduce alcohol intake, having a balanced diet low in red meat, exercise, and avoid exposure to substances that have been shown to be carcinogenic.’’
On the policy front, there were debates about the sustainability and cost effectiveness of cancer treatments. Biosmilars, which are new in oncology, were presented as a valid option to facilitate access to treatment and allieviate the strain on healthcare systems.
Held in collaboration with the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR), the tag line for ESMO 2017 was "Integrating science into oncology for a better patient outcome".
Join us for the ESMO 2018 Congress. We look forward to seeing you in Munich, Germany from 19 to 23 October 2018.
-END-
Notes to Editors
Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports: ESMO 2017 Congress
References
(1) Abstracts to be published in Annals of Oncology, Volume 28, 2017 Supplement 5.
ESMO 2017 Congress press releases here
ESMO 2017 Scientific programme here
About the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)
ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. With 16,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 130 countries worldwide, ESMO is the society of reference for oncology education and information. We are committed to supporting our members to develop and advance in a fast-evolving professional environment.