LUGANO/SINGAPORE, 16 December 2015 - ESMO, the leading professional organisation for medical oncology, is pleased to announce the inaugural ESMO Asia 2015 Congress in Singapore. A premier scientific and educational platform for oncologists and other stakeholders in cancer care, the Asian edition of ESMO's annual congress aims to facilitate information exchange between researchers, clinicians and patients across disciplines to find the most effective treatment solutions.
Please find below short summaries of the news that will be released in connection with the ESMO Asia 2015 Congress. Press releases will be issued on a daily basis.
Underprivileged patients at major risk of disease-related 'financial catastrophe'
[Under EMBARGO until Thursday 17th Dec, 23:55 hrs SGT]
Data collected in 8 low and middle-income South-East Asian countries shows 5% of cancer patients were pushed into poverty because of the high disease-related costs (March 2012-September 2013). The researchers showed that cancer resulted in 'financial catastrophe' for almost half of the patients with economic hardship at the time of diagnosis.
Immunotherapy and targeted therapy: new options for difficult-to-treat head-and-neck cancers
[Under EMBARGO until Thursday 17th Dec, 23:55 hrs SGT]
Phase I and II trials show promising antineoplastic activity of the immunotherapy agent pembrolizumab in patients with heavily pretreated nasopharyngeal cancer, and effectiveness of the targeted agent afatinib as second-line treatment for recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) after failure with platinum-based therapy.
Asian women with endocrine-resistant breast cancer benefit from combination therapy
[Under EMBARGO until Friday 18th, 23:55 hrs SGT]
Data collected for Japanese and Korean patients in a global trial provides evidence for combining palbociclib with fulvestrant to overcome endocrine resistance in women with hormone receptor positive (HR+), HER2 negative (HER2-) advanced breast cancer.
Afatinib a better choice for EGFR-mutated lung cancer in first-line
[Under EMBARGO until Saturday 19th, 23:55 hrs SGT]
Patients with EGFR-activating mutations in advanced lung cancer seem to benefit more from afatinib as first-line treatment across a range of clinically relevant endpoints, as reported in a global, randomised, open-label Phase IIb trial.
More patients with lung cancer could benefit from immunotherapy
[Under EMBARGO until Saturday 19th, 23:55 hrs SGT]
Pivotal phase 2/3 trial shows that two doses of the anti-PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab and a higher, investigational dose improve median survival in all PD-L1-positive patients compared with the commonly used chemotherapy.
Get a first glimpse of what you can expect from the Congress: abstracts accepted for Poster, Poster Discussion and Proffered Paper sessions at the ESMO Asia 2015 Congress are available online (as of Wednesday, 16 December 2015 at 16:00 hrs SGT).
Late-breaking abstracts will be made public at the beginning of the official Congress session during which they are presented.
Media Registration
ESMO welcomes media interested in obtaining information and reporting on cancer issues. Registration to the ESMO Asia 2015 Congress is free to bona fide journalists on presentation of a letter of assignment and a valid press card ( ESMO Media Policy http://www.esmo.org/content/download/70017/1246920/file/ESMO-Asia-2015-Media-Policy.pdf )
We are looking forward to welcoming you in Singapore or to help you with any inquiry about remote coverage of ESMO Asia 2015.
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About ESMO
ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. Comprising more than 13,000 oncology professionals from over 130 countries, we are 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. Our educational and information resources support an integrated, multi-professional approach to cancer treatment. We seek to erase boundaries in cancer care as we pursue our mission across oncology, worldwide.
For media RSVPs or enquiries, please contact:
Ruder Finn Asia
Petrina Loh
Account Executive
DID: +65 6336 7694 / Mobile: +65 9005 2790
lohp@ruderfinnasia.com
Ruder Finn Asia
Michelle Tan
Account Executive
DID: +65 6336 6408 / Mobile: +65 9186 4848
tanm@ruderfinnasia.com
ESMO Press Office
media@esmo.org