Global Roundtable on Personalised Medicine

How can we identify smaller cohorts of patients and improve the efficiency of working across international borders?

Co-hosted by: UICC and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), this Global Roundtable event is taking place in Washington D.C. on 16 January 2013. 

The concept of personalised cancer therapy is now well accepted with success being accomplished in cancers such as  chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), gastrointestinal stromal  tumour (GIST),  non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and melanoma. Personalised or precision cancer therapy, however, should not be limited to affluent societies, but should be available to all patients with cancer regardless of country of residence or economic status. The focal questions of this joint meeting will be, “How can we identify cohorts of patients with distinct molecular profiles, provide appropriate molecularly targeted  therapies, and improve the efficiency of working across international borders, and, in turn, patient outcomes?” UICC and ASCO are organising an invitation-only, high-level meeting bringing together a select group of stakeholders from  patient and professional organisations,  governmental and UN agencies, academic institutions, and industry to exchange thoughts on how we can most effectively address this question and other key topics related to providing access to research and – ultimately – the best of care for patients across the globe.

The meeting will bring together leading experts to share current initiatives and discuss new and creative ways to accelerate  research and  – most importantly – advance the prevention, detection, treatment and palliation of  cancer. Discussions will be geared towards  exchanging ideas and identifying unique opportunities for partnerships to shape the future direction of cancer prevention and care over the next 20 years.

This roundtable will convene an exclusive group of:

• United Nations agency representatives (i.e. WHO, UNDP, IAEA)
• UICC and ASCO members and partners
• Patients representatives and those actively engaged in research and development
• Key leaders in the cancer community (including oncologists, pathologists and patient advocates)
• Health policy experts
• Industry