Sylwia Biszczuk: Reflecting on the ESMO annual congress

Sylwia Biszczuk, Medical Network and Operations Manager at Further Group, posted on LinkedIn:

“As we are now back full time into our routines, it is a good moment to reflect on the fantastic long weekend spent in Barcelona during ESMO annual congress.

There is no doubt, the landscape of oncology is evolving at an unprecedented pace, and we are grateful for being able to witness the groundbreaking progress and hear updates from the scientific community first-hand.

One of my favourite highlights was the status check and ´´celebration´´ marking the 10-year milestone since the first approval of immunotherapy – KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) HC, first approved back in September 2014 for advanced melanoma, followed by OPDIVO® (nivolumab) US HCP in December 2014. Since then, immunotherapy has reshaped cancer care, with growing approvals and indications. The fantastic data we´ve collected until now clearly shows the transformative impact immunotherapy has on patient care and survival (melanoma being great example with about 50% of patients with advanced disease achieving long-term survival). More importantly, we understand the limitations of immunotherapy much better as well – which will steer the future research to ensure the treatment benefits the right group of patients.

Looking into the future, I´m excited to follow the AI developments and I´m optimistic that they will play an integrative role in care delivery, when implemented meaningfully.

Moreover, together with my colleagues, we would like say a huge thank you to all new and old friends we met during the congress. You are a constant source of inspiration and motivation in our day-to-day, helping us navigate the complex landscape of oncology to ensure no doors remain closed to our members during their cancer journey. Until next year!”

Source: Sylwia Biszczuk/LinkedIn