Highlights from the 26th ASM
Another successful AGITG Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) was recently conducted, this year at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Meeting took place on 18 – 21 November 2024, convened by medical oncologists Professor Stephen Ackland and Associate Professor Sina Vatandoust.
This year’s Meeting theme, “Thinking Outside the Box”, encouraged delegates to think beyond traditional trial approaches and challenge the norm. As a follow-on from our 2023 Meeting, “Navigating Paths to Equity in GI Cancer Research”, this year’s theme underscored the significance of equitable and diverse trials, encouraged contributors and delegates to explore innovative trial designs, and aimed to expand collaborations across diverse regions for greater global impact.
Thank you to AGITG Translational Research Lead, Dr Sarah Hayes, and AGITG research fellow, Dr John Mak, for their contributions to this recap of the 26th AGITG ASM.
Monday 18 November, 2024
The first day of the ASM was a workshop day where delegates could choose from three insightful workshops: the Surgical Workshop, the Study Coordinator & Cancer Nurses Workshop, and the Integrated Oncology Workshop.
Dr Sarah Hayes
“In the Study Coordinator Workshop, my highlight was the session ‘Empowering Patient Involvement: A Patients Perspective’. Jodie Collins gave such an insightful and humbling presentation and really reminded me why I do what I do. She incorporated a live word cloud on the complex emotions surrounding an advanced cancer diagnosis and walked us through her journey, plus gave us insights into what this journey might be like for other patients and where they might need additional support, particularly relevant to clinicians and clinical staff.”
Dr John Mak
“I attended the Integrated Oncology Workshop and found it hard to pick just one highlight. The whole day was useful from the perspective of an early career researcher – I personally took away many pearls of wisdom to consider maximising the impact of our clinical trials.”
The gastro-intestinal surgical oncology workshop covered HPB and colorectal surgery, featuring renowned international faculty Professor Matthew Katz and Dr Rodrigo O Perez, as well as esteemed national faculty who are changing the paradigms in cancer treatment using multimodalities and multidisciplinary collaboration.
Tuesday 19 November, 2024
The second day began with a Welcome to Country by the Turrbal Community, setting a respectful and inclusive tone for the 26th AGITG ASM. AGITG Chair, Professor Lorraine Chantrill, then provided an update on AGITG’s efforts to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion in clinical trials.
The opening plenary session explored the evolving management landscape of lower GI cancers. Professor Deborah Schrag delivered a keynote on contemporary rectal cancer management, challenging conventional approaches by demonstrating that sometimes less is more. Professor Tim Price, a longstanding member of AGITG, followed with insights into AGITG’s journey, highlighting key innovations and collaborative opportunities shaping the future of GI cancer research.
Delegates were then able to select one of the three Special Interest Sessions; Management of BRAFV600E-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer through the Australian lens, Precision oncology in metastatic colorectal cancer – From the lab to the patient and Effects of tumor-penetrating drug delivery on the tumor microenvironment analyzed by cutting-edge technologies linked to artificial intelligence.
The afternoon featured Lower GI Surgical Keynote and AGITG Trial Updates and concluded with a panel discussion focusing on improving patient access to clinical trials.
Dr Sarah Hayes
“Professor Gail Garvey’s presentation on Thinking outside the box to achieve equity for First Nations Australians in cancer was such a powerful way to open the conference officially – so many pearls of wisdom here it’s hard to know what to summarise! So much personal insight on the experiences of First Nations peoples when they are being treated for their cancer, on how clinical trials are not being designed with/by (and specifically for) First Nations participants in mind – and how we need to actively change our approach to overcome these barriers for including all Australians in our research. I also loved Prof Schrag’s keynote and the Best of Posters session that day.”
Dr John Mak
“Another stand-out session was the Lower GI surgical keynote by Dr Rodrigo Perez, who gave a very considered perspective on the use of non-operative management of rectal cancers. Dr Perez highlighted the need to exercise caution when selecting patients for non-operative management, and the potential pitfalls to watch out for based on their institution’s extensive experience. The idea that non-operative management should mainly be considered in patients with primary tumours within reach of the finger was certainly a point for reflection, in an era where complete clinical responses are increasingly seen through the use of total neoadjuvant therapy.”
Wednesday 20 November, 2024
Day three focused on innovation and new directions. We began with a special keynote breakfast session on Discover the hidden influence of gut bacteria in colorectal cancer.
The Lower GI Radiation Oncology session featured a keynote by Professor Cihan Gani on organ preservation in rectal cancer, focusing on the Tubingen approach. Following this, three early-stage upper GI trials were presented.
In the afternoon delegates had the opportunity to select one of the Special Interest Sessions followed by the New Concepts Symposium which is always a meeting highlight!
The day concluded with an Upper GI MDT session discussing two cases involving pancreatic cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma.
Dr Sarah Hayes
“The highlight for me that day was the talk from our national keynote speaker (and new Translational Research Committee member), Associate Professor Thomas Cox – A novel first-in-class anti-fibrotic blocks therapy induced tumour desmoplasia, rewires stromal signalling and augments gemcitabine response and survival in pancreatic cancer. This presentation detailed the development and extensive testing that has gone into developing a new drug (PXS-5055) for treatment of pancreatic cancer – where it prevents desmoplasia from occurring (a process that can make tumours resistant to therapy by creating a barrier that reduces the effectiveness of drugs), changes the “environment”/biological structure surrounding the tumour (called the tumour microenvironment) to make it less “tumour-friendly”, to improve the efficacy of chemo and improve survival outcomes. This work was recently published in Nature.”
Dr John Mak
“I really enjoyed the New Concepts Symposium, especially the robust engagement from the audience during Q&A time. It really encapsulated the value of having AGITG’s multidisciplinary membership to review each concept that comes through the research development framework. As the saying goes, iron sharpens iron. I am confident that each of the presenters took away ideas to refine their trial concepts, and I look forward to seeing each of the concepts turning into clinical trials.”
Thursday 21 November, 2024
The final day of the ASM, commenced with three concurrent keynote breakfast sessions: Combined Medical Oncology and Translational Research Session with Professor Deborah Schrag and Associate Professor Nick Clemons; Radiation Oncology Session with Professor Cihan Gani and Professor Trevor Leong and Surgical Session: Tips, Tricks and Personal Perspectives from the Masters with Professor Matthew Katz and Dr Rodrigo Perez.
The closing plenary began with a celebration of ground-breaking research, followed by an overview of the international trial landscape, emphasising key gaps and opportunities for development. A multidisciplinary panel then explored the future of AGITG’s global collaborations, before the Meeting concluded with reflections from the AGITG Chair, Professor Lorraine Chantrill.
Dr Sarah Hayes
“My favourite talk from the last day was Advanced colorectal cancer: Harnessing Biomarkers for Precision Care with Professor Deborah Schrag. Professor Schrag gave an excellent summary on which to use/how to use biomarkers in the optimisation of care for patients with metastatic CRC. It was very comprehensive and provided an up-to-date overview of all the literature out there, as well as what works well in her experience working at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The use of immunotherapy in this setting is not often warranted, but when it works (in a rare subtype of mCRC), it works so beautifully and “melts the cancer away”. She also provided keen insight for what the future might hold regarding emerging biomarkers and targets/drugs.”
Dr John Mak
“My favourite session here was the panel discussion on the future of AGITG global collaborations. I found it very inspiring to hear how we are contributing towards the global effort in improving GI cancer outcomes through collaborative research, and that the challenges we face are similarly encountered by other collaborative trial groups.
Another thought-provoking point that the discussants raised was the need to consider how we can extend the benefits of our research to countries with less privileged health systems. I particularly liked the proposition that research is essential rather than a privilege even in developing countries, but obviously there are major challenges exist when access to standard of care treatments is limited.”
Thank you to everyone involved in preparing this year’s Meeting, and thank you to our delegates, we trust you found the sessions enriching.
We’re also deeply thankful to all our #AGITG24 ASM sponsors. Your generous support made it possible to unite specialists from Australia, Aotearoa, and around the world to share ground-breaking research in GI cancer treatment and care.
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