ESMO Congress 2024 – Event takeaways

Authored by: Anthony Greenwood

We had the pleasure of attending the ESMO Congress 2024 in September along with our colleagues from parent company Inizio.

The ESMO Congress is a globally influential oncology platform for clinicians, researchers, patient advocates, journalists and healthcare industry representatives, disseminating the latest cutting-edge data, and allowing the industry to form connections from all over the world.

Myself, and my colleague Jaime Laidlaw, as leaders of Research Partnership’s Oncology Centre of Excellence, as well as our Inizio colleagues, had the pleasure of meeting some of our clients and connecting with the oncology industry at large, participating in insightful discussions and engaging with global leaders in the field.

Together, we curated some takeaways from the event. Here’s what we learned:

• Patient-centric future: ESMO 2024 has highlighted the continued importance of putting patients at the heart of cancer care. From personalized treatment plans to improved patient experiences, the future of oncology is patient-centric.
• Breakthrough of ADCs: Anti-body conjugates (ADCs) are emerging as powerful tools in cancer therapy. We have seen exciting advancements in ADC research and development, with promising clinical data demonstrating their potential to improve outcomes for patients with various cancer types.
• AI revolutionizes cancer care: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing cancer research and treatment. We have seen cutting-edge AI applications, from drug discovery to personalized diagnostics, demonstrating its immense potential to improve patient outcomes.
• Role of medical affairs: Medical affairs plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between research and clinical practice. ESMO 2024 has provided valuable insights into the evolving role of medical affairs professionals and their contributions to improving patient care.
• Personalized medicine is the future: We are seeing how merging technologies like next-generation biomarkers and real-world evidence are converging to enable more precise and effective treatment strategies, tailored to the individual needs of each patient.
• Patient-centric clinical trial design: One of the key areas of discussion is the involvement of patients in clinical trial design. By incorporating patient feedback early in the design process, we can create more effective and user-centric studies, ultimately leading to improved treatment options and outcomes.
• Global cancer care inequalities: Another significant topic is the exploration of inequalities in cancer care across different countries and regions. The conference highlighted efforts to address disparities in access to treatment, resources, and outcomes, striving for a more equitable global healthcare landscape.
• Evolving patient-doctor relationships: The evolving dynamics of the patient-doctor relationship are also being discussed at ESMO. There is a growing emphasis on fostering collaborative partnerships where patients are actively engaged in their care decisions, with the aim of improving both patient satisfaction and outcomes.

We were so proud to represent Research Partnership– the overall efforts to transform the future of cancer care continue to inspire us all. Please feel free to reach out at info@researchpartnership.com about our oncology expertise. Or, for a quick overview, download our oncology infographic.