Global oncology group chiefs highlight collaboration at KSMO 2024

The Korean Society of Medical Oncology (KSMO) 2024 conference, themed "From Insights to Impact – Defeating Cancer Together," underscores the critical importance of international cooperation in the fight against cancer. As leading oncologists from around the world gather in Seoul, the message is clear: the key to overcoming this formidable disease lies in unified efforts and shared knowledge.

On the sidelines of the Korean Society of Medical Oncology (KSMO) 2024 conference, chiefs of two leading global oncology organizations – American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) President Dr. Lynn M. Schuchter and European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) President Dr. Andrés Cervantes -- shared their insights on international collaboration, emerging trends, and the future of cancer treatment.

Both leaders highlighted the significance of collaboration between their organizations and KSMO.

Schuchter mentioned the memorandum of understanding signed with KSMO in 2023, which has facilitated joint sessions, exchange programs, and mentorship opportunities for young Korean oncologists.

This agreement allows for greater partnership and exchange of knowledge, with Korean oncologists attending the ASCO annual meeting and participating in mentorship programs focused on research and quality projects.

“To solve the problem of cancer requires collaboration,” Schuchter said.

Cervantes noted ESMO's growing global membership, with 27 percent now based in Asia, underscoring the importance of partnerships with societies like KSMO.

Cervantes highlighted ESMO's efforts to adapt guidelines for Asia, involving more Asian authors in guideline development and collaborating with endorsing societies across the region. ESMO has also launched a New Leader Generation program in Asia to prepare future oncology leaders.

Korea's rising prominence in global oncology

Both presidents stressed the importance of global participation in clinical trials, especially Korea’s role.

Notably, Cervantes praised Korea's active role in developing and conducting trials that are changing the landscape of oncology.

"Korean researchers are already known for their world-class research capabilities, with many studies led by Korean researchers published in major journals, such as New England Journal of Medicine. They are truly changing the shape of oncology,” Cervantes said.

ASCO President Schuchter also highlighted the significant contributions of Korean researchers on the global oncology stage.

“There are a lot of clinical trials being led by investigators from Korea, particularly in areas such as GI cancers, lung cancer, and head and neck cancer, which are more common in Korean populations,” Schuchter said. 

She emphasized the potential for increased collaboration, stating, "We can partner on increasing clinical trial accrual as we're doing more global clinical trials in different populations."

The ASCO leader also praised Korea's innovative approach, saying, "There's tremendous innovation occurring in Korea in drug development and the application of AI, which we've heard about at this meeting.”

Schuchter stressed that she believes KSMO is really poised to play a pivotal role in defeating cancer.

Bridging the gap by addressing global disparities in cancer care

Addressing global disparities in cancer care remains a priority for both organizations.

Schuchter acknowledged the challenges in balancing access to state-of-the-art treatments with available resources in different countries.

"We have been receiving feedback that the resource-stratified guideline sometimes doesn't recommend the state-of-the-art treatment that patients require,” she said. “This is because the guideline may suggest older chemotherapy options, as some countries do not have access to newer immunotherapies.”

She emphasized the complexity of the issue, adding, "It's more about how do we prioritize and sort getting these expensive medications to patients as the reimbursement system is so different in every country."

Cervantes also highlighted ESMO's efforts to address these disparities in oncology.

"We are developing what we call the ESMO-Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale, which is intended to be used for the assessment of the magnitude of clinical benefit in new anticancer, as not all new drugs have the same patient outcomes,” he said. “After regulatory approval, we score those approvals by assessing the amount of benefit in reduction of the risk of death and progression."

The ESMO President emphasized the practical application of this tool, noting, "This tool will help countries with limited resources to prioritize those that are given higher benefits."

The presidents were impressed by the strong presence of young oncologists and women in leadership roles at KSMO 2024.

"I was struck by how there are really young oncologists here which is great,” Schuchter said. “There are a lot of women oncologists here, which is something I don't always see at other international meetings."

Cervantes also echoed this sentiment, drawing parallels to ESMO's membership demographics.

He observed, "A lot of oncologists attending KSMO 2024 are young, which is somewhat similar to what we have been seeing at ESMO, with 50 percent of our members now younger than 40," he said.

He further elaborated on the diversity he witnessed at the conference, stating, "I’ve also seen a great gender-balanced audience and even the KSMO society itself has a very gender-balanced leadership"

Both presidents emphasized the importance of international conferences like KSMO in fostering global collaboration and achieving the goal of defeating cancer together.

"I would highly encourage people to attend KSMO 2025,” Schuchter said. “The quality of the speakers' and the science has made people from all over the world come to the conference.”

Cervantes echoed this sentiment, commending KSMO's role in attracting collaborations from many other societies.

Cervantes highlighted the international nature of the conference, noting, "I learned that more than 40 percent of the attendees in this meeting are coming outside Korea.”

That means that KSMO is having a relevant role in oncology, attracting collaborations from many other oncology societies, Cervantes added.