By Andrea Hargraves 
The world’s largest oncology conference presented studies and advances in disease control. (photo: disclosure)
Three years into the pandemic, the world’s largest cancer event is back in full force. More than 40,000 researchers, physicians and other health professionals gathered for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference this month in Chicago, US. Studies have been presented with more effective treatments to combat the disease, as well as diagnostic tools and practices that can increase the quality of life of a person with the disease.
The theme for the conference in 2023 was “Partnership with Patients: Pillar of Cancer Treatment and Research.” For Carlos Henrique dos Anjos, an oncologist at Sírio-Libanês Hospital, this is a convenient option. “More and more people are understanding the importance of listening to the patient, both in terms of their care and from a scientific point of view. The researcher needs to understand if what they are trying to study is relevant to who is being treated,” he says.
In his eleventh participation in the congress, a doctor specializing in breast diseases highlights, in his area, the findings of a research called Natalie. Scientists have shown alternatives that can dramatically increase the survival rate for people diagnosed with the most common form of breast cancer: a delicate, hormone-blocking disease. “The positive effects of treatment, which were already known to patients with metastasis, were also evident in the early stages of the disease,” notes the oncologist. “However, it is important that study patients be followed for a longer period to document the true benefit of the drug,” he concludes.
As in other fields of knowledge, artificial intelligence is coming to medicine and was thought of at this event. According to oncologist Ciro Eduardo de Souza, who has been a member of the medical staff at Ciro Hospital Lebanon since 2008, about 120 papers have been submitted focusing on this topic. The doctor needs to know all the molecular characteristics of the tumor, information about the health of the patient and the extent of the disease which we call staging. AI tools can help us make decisions and predict what kind of response to treatment to expect.”
In addition to increasing the accuracy of diagnosis and appropriate treatment for each case, technology will help democratize access to the latest medicine, in the opinion of the oncologist. “The Asco conference is increasingly welcoming all kinds of people with cancer and providing us with data so that we can take better care of patients,” Souza says.