FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 3, 2008
CONTACT:
Danielle Potuto
703-519-1422
ASCO ANNOUNCES PRESS PROGRAM FOR
2008 ANNUAL MEETING
– May 15: Live, Online Presscast –
– May 30 - June 3: Onsite Press Program –
Alexandria, Va. — More than 30,000 cancer specialists from around the world will gather at the 44th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago to discuss the latest advances in cancer care, treatment, prevention and survivorship. The meeting will be held at McCormick Place, Friday, May 30 through Tuesday, June 3, 2008. Nearly 5,000 abstracts have been accepted to the five-day meeting.
This year ASCO is changing its Annual Meeting abstract distribution process:
- Non-Plenary and Non-Late-breaking abstracts (to be published in the 2008 ASCO Annual Meeting Proceedings Part I) will be publicly released online at www.asco.org on Thursday, May 15 at 9:00 PM (EDT). Study authors will present select noteworthy research in a live, online presscast for pre-registered media earlier that day.
- Plenary and Late-breaking abstracts (to be published in the 2008 ASCO Annual Meeting Proceedings Part II) will be publicly released at various times during the Annual Meeting and highlighted in press briefings on Saturday and Sunday.
PRESS PROGRAM SCHEDULE (Subject to change)
| Thursday, May 15, 12:00 PM (EDT) |
Presscast on Publicly Released Abstracts |
| Friday, May 30, 11:00 AM (CDT) |
Opening Press Conference |
| Saturday, May 31, 9:00 AM (CDT) |
Late Breaking Abstracts |
| Saturday, May 31, 11:00 AM (CDT) |
Late Breaking Abstracts |
| Sunday, June 1, 9:00 AM (CDT) |
Plenary Studies |
| Sunday, June 1, 11:00 AM (CDT) |
Plenary Studies |
| Monday, June 2 |
To Be Announced |
May 15 – Live Presscast. Select authors will present important research findings in a live, online presscast that allows reporters to participate by phone and online simultaneously.
Featured studies will include:
- Research evaluating the impact of vitamin D levels on metastasis and outcome of women with breast cancer
- A study examining the relationship between MRI and mastectomy rates from 1997 to 2006 at the Mayo Clinic
- A study analyzing the frequency of heart disease five or more years after cancer diagnosis in more than 14,000 survivors of childhood cancer
- A study assessing the ability of a 15-gene expression signature to predict which early-stage non-small cell lung cancer patients would benefit from chemotherapy
- Research evaluating the safety and effectiveness of pemetrexed (Alimta) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer
- A study comparing the safety and effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs given more frequently to patients with Ewing’s sarcoma
May 30 - Opening Press Conference. This press briefing will preview the major news, sessions and events of the conference.
May 31 – Late-breaking Abstracts. Two press briefings will highlight the results of large, phase III randomized trials with late-breaking results. These studies will be selected and announced in the coming months.
June 1 - Plenary Abstracts. Two press briefings will feature the most significant research presented at the Annual Meeting, including:
- A study evaluating the addition of cetuximab (Erbitux) to standard chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer
- A study evaluating whether a mutation in the KRAS gene in tumor cells could be used to predict how patients with metastatic colorectal cancer would respond to the monoclonal antibody cetuximab
- A study comparing long-term outcomes for patients with early-stage testicular cancer who received a single dose of chemotherapy following surgery with those patients who received standard radiation therapy following surgery
Note: Additional research will be highlighted in each press briefing based on thematic content.
New Embargo Policy: ASCO has revised its embargo policies for the 2008 Annual Meeting:
- The embargo for abstracts published in Proceedings I will lift at 9:00 PM (EDT) on Thursday, May 15, 2008. These abstracts will be made available at www.asco.org.
- The embargo for abstracts designated as Publish-Only will lift at 9:00 PM (EDT) on Thursday, May 15, 2008. These abstracts will be made available at www.asco.org but will not be published in Proceedings I.
- The embargo for Plenary and Late-breaking abstracts NOT selected for inclusion in ASCO’s official Press Program will lift at 9:00 AM (EDT) on Saturday, May 31.
- Embargoes for abstracts selected for highlighting in the Press Program will lift at the beginning of the News Briefing or the beginning of the Scientific Session containing the research, whichever comes first.
This Embargo Policy covers all abstracts accepted as part of ASCO’s Annual Meeting regardless of whether information is obtained from another source.
MEDIA RESOURCES AND FACILITIES
Media Registration: To register for the ASCO Annual Meeting, please visit www.asco.org/presscenter, or call 703-519-2935 or 703-519-1423. Representatives from non-U.S.-based media are required to pre-register by Friday, May 2, 2008. On-site media registration is not available for non-U.S. media.
Housing: A limited number of hotel rooms are available for media. The housing reservation deadline is Friday, April 18, 2008. After that date, ASCO will no longer be able to facilitate media housing requests.
On-site Resources: A full-service Press Room will provide telephones, faxes, printers, private interview rooms, and computer workstations with Internet access and wireless capability.
Photos from the ASCO Annual Meeting and press briefings will be available through ASCO’s online Press Center each day of the Meeting. Specific photo requests are welcome and accommodated as possible.
Shuttle service between Annual Meeting hotels and the convention center will be available.
Abstract Posting Schedule: Non-Plenary and Non-Late-breaking abstracts will be posted on ASCO’s website (www.asco.org) at 9:00 PM (EDT) on Thursday, May 15. The final text of Plenary and Late-breaking abstracts will be posted online no later than 12:00 PM (EDT) on Sunday, June 1. Press releases will be posted as embargoes lift at www.asco.org/AMpresskit08.
ASCO’s Virtual Meeting will provide online access to most major sessions following the meeting.
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ASCO is the world’s leading professional organization representing physicians who care for people with cancer. With more than 25,000 members, ASCO is committed to improving cancer care through scientific meetings, educational programs and peer-reviewed journals. For ASCO information and resources, visit www.asco.org/presscenter. Patient-oriented cancer information is available at www.cancer.net.
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