The sixth edition of the ESMO Asia Congress, being held virtually due to COVID-19, opened today with over 2,500 medical professionals from over 90 countries coming together on one platform for the three-day event. The ESMO Asia Virtual Congress 2020 is organised by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO by its acronym), the leading professional organisation for medical oncology.

The ESMO Asia Virtual Congress is the leading scientific platform in the Asia-Pacific region, helping to strengthen collaboration within the medical community and encourage a multi-disciplinary dialogue on integrated cancer care. The 2020 programme has been completely redesigned to take into consideration its virtual nature, but remains packed with scientific and educational lectures, aimed at responding to the unique challenges faced by the oncology community in the region. In addition to sharing best practice standards of care for cancer patients, plenty of opportunities for a fruitful learning and networking experience have also been created.

The keynote lecture at today’s event was presented by Professor Tak W. Mak, a global heavyweight in the field of genetics and immunology of cancer. In his lecture on T-cell receptors, Professor Mak discussed the evolution of immuno-oncology.

This year, the ESMO Asia Congress will feature speakers that cover the full range of oncology topics including the latest advances in cancer medical treatment, radiotherapy, prevention, supportive and palliative care, with an eye on Asia’s unique challenges and demographics. Programme highlights include, among others:

• Latest research in neo-adjuvant immuno-oncology 
• New breakthroughs in immunotherapy for  breast cancer 
• Molecular stratification of gastrointestinal malignancies, and their therapeutic targeting with smart drugs in immuno-oncology 
• Combination of loco-regional and systemic therapies in the control of head and neck cancers 
• Insights into the molecular aberrations of thoracic malignancies, the use of biomarkers and their therapeutic modulation 

The ESMO Asia Virtual Congress 2020 is endorsed by 20 oncology associations in the Asia-Pacific region and will run till Sunday, 22nd November 2020. For the full programme, please visit:

https://www.esmo.org/meetings/esmo-asia-2020-virtual/programme