Aiming to facilitate widespread dissemination of practice-changing research, ASCO offers the Best of ASCO® Meetings, which condense the most cutting-edge science and education from the ASCO Annual Meeting into a 2-day program. The smaller size of these meetings, compared to the Annual Meeting, provides greater opportunities for attendees to network with peers and interact with faculty. This year’s meetings will be held in Chicago (August 9–10), Los Angeles (August 16–17), and Boston (August 23–24).
According to Douglas Yee, MD, Chair of the 2013 Chicago and Los Angeles events, “The Best of ASCO Meetings provide a unique opportunity to hear presentations on high-impact studies from the Annual Meeting and expert discussion of the findings in a compact and focused setting.” The program will particularly benefit those who were not able to attend the Annual Meeting and those who did attend the Annual Meeting but were not able to absorb it all, given the larger venue, he adds.
Smaller Scale Facilitates Easy Access, In-depth Analysis
The highlighted abstracts represent the foremost research that will directly impact patient care, and presentations go into greater depth of analysis than time allows at the Annual Meeting. In this setting, presenting faculty—selected based on first-hand experience with the research in their field—provide more insight on the clinical implications of the studies.
Session topics cover the latest scientific findings in primary disease sites and advances in cancer prevention and treatment. They are based upon the various tracks presented at the Annual Meeting, including breast cancer, central nervous system tumors, developmental therapeutics, gastrointestinal (colorectal and noncolorectal) cancer, genitourinary cancer, gynecologic cancer, head and neck cancer, health services research, leukemia, lung cancer, lymphoma and myeloma, melanoma, and patient and survivor care. Additional education sessions address how to apply molecular profiling in clinical practice, highlight new and noteworthy developments in hereditary cancer genetics and syndromes, and cover advances in the genetics, screening, and treatment of familial upper gastrointestinal cancer syndromes.
Providing an opportunity to delve even deeper into the subjects and engage directly with the experts, the Best of ASCO Meetings also feature faculty case question-and-answer panels. These sessions allow attendees to ask for clarification on issues raised during the presentations and seek advice on challenging patient cases they encounter in their practices.
Virtual Meeting Subscription
In addition to the in-person experience, all Best of ASCO attendees receive a subscription to the Best of ASCO Virtual Meeting, which provides digital access to sessions recorded at the Best of ASCO Meeting in Chicago. Users may stream the video or audio content or download podcasts of selected presentations with a computer, tablet, or mobile phone, using a free application for iPad and iPhone, or a mobile-friendly site for Android devices.
For More Information
For the latest information on all three Best of ASCO Meetings, visit boa.asco.org, where you can register for a meeting, make housing arrangements, apply for a travel grant, find preliminary agendas, access CME eligibility information, and view a list of exhibiting companies. Register by July 10 at 11:59 PM EDT to take advantage of the best registration rates and housing availability. ■
© 2013. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.
