Preview: 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting Coverage

In an attempt to provide oncology professionals with the resources and information they need to provide the best patient care, OncLive.com will be on-site at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.

The latest installment of the conference will be held at the McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, from June 1-5, 2012. This meeting hopes to cull a similar audience to its predecessor, which gathered more than 30,000 attendees.

Several clinical trials are expected to be presented at the upcoming meeting. The top prospects include:

• The agent tivozanib, an oral VEGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which performed well in a first-line phase III trial for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. An extension of progression-free survival and superiority to sorafenib was announced in January, but the agent failed to meet the expectations of investors. Find out more

• Results from a phase III trial of abiraterone acetate, an androgen deprivation therapy, which became unblinded earlier this year, are expected to be released for prostate cancer patients that have not received chemotherapy. The primary outcomes of the trial were overall and progression-free survival. Find out more
• The oral multitargeted kinase inhibitor, ponatinib, showed promising preliminary data from the PACE trial at ASH. This data sets the stage for the agent in chronic myeloid leukemia. A 5-month follow-up demonstrated responses in all patient types, including those resistant or intolerant to previous therapy. Find out more

The theme of the 2012 meeting is: Collaborating to Conquer Cancer. The goal of the program is to focus on the multidisciplinary collaboration of a cancer team, in order to enhance the quality of care provided to patients, strengthen exploration into complex scientific and personal pathways, and guide researchers closer to a cure.

The ASCO Annual Meeting is the largest and most renowned multidisciplinary meeting in the world and places cancer research center stage for the weeks preceding, during, and several months after the annual meeting.

Recognized as the premier multidisciplinary oncology meeting, ASCO draws an international audience of oncology professionals (including medical, hematologic, surgical, radiation, pediatric, and gynecologic oncologists, as well as pharmacists, nurses, and physician assistants) to participate in the latest discussions of cutting-edge science in cancer care.

For an example of our historic coverage, view the 2011 ASCO Annual Meeting.