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COVID-19 Updates

ASCO 2020 annual meeting goes virtual

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The annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology will go virtual this year, the society announced March 24.

“As public health safety measures related to COVID-19 extend, the ASCO board has concluded that the annual meeting, scheduled for May 29-June 2 in Chicago, cannot occur in person as planned,” ASCO said in a statement.

“That is why we still intend to deliver the latest cancer science to the global community during the annual meeting timeframe using a virtual format that respects the contributions of the authors and the work of the Scientific Program Committee,” the statement said. “Information on the format, dates, specific content, registration, refunds, and many other details will be available in the coming weeks and posted on am.asco.org.”

Abstracts will be published online and in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, though ASCO’s educational program will not take place within the virtual annual meeting setting.

“As we confront this extraordinary situation, the health and safety of members, staff, and individuals with cancer—in fact, the entire cancer community—is ASCO’s highest priority,” Richard L. Schilsky, executive vice president and chief medical officer of ASCO, wrote a guest editorial in The Cancer Letter March 18 (The Cancer Letter, March 18).

ASCO’s statement on its virtual annual meeting is posted here.

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