Making medical news in a pandemic: COVID-19, COSA and all things cardiovascular

KMG Communications at COSA ASM 2020. Article #1 of 6.

KMG Communications is rolling out a suite of articles summarising the highlights of key posters and oral presentations under the cardio-oncology theme at the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA)'s annual scientific meeting (ASM) 2020, with a particular focus on the role of exercise in the cancer patient's treatment journey. This is the first article in the series.

The Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA)'s annual scientific meeting (ASM) went virtual this year (for obvious reasons!), and the team at KMG Communications embraced the opportunity to be there. Tuning in from the comfort of our home offices, we soaked up some of the latest and greatest research in Australian clinical oncology care. 2020 has been quite an unusual year. With the cancelling of many conference events, we were particularly excited to hear that COSA was going ahead with their 2020 ASM as a virtual event. KMG Communications has been inspired by the excellent research and oncology news that has come out of previous COSA events and so we welcomed the opportunity to attend this one last month.

Dr Alice Carruthers joined the KMG Communications team this year. With a PhD in cardiovascular pathophysiology, she provides excellent insights on the research presented at COSA 2020 and was the major contributor to our conference reporting at COSA this year. 

Cardio-oncology at COSA 2020

Cardio-oncology is an emerging discipline and was one of the program themes at COSA 2020. This was of obvious interest to us. With the emergence of novel cancer treatments, including immunotherapy agents and targeted therapies, cancer survival rates have increased but cardiovascular complications and the complexities in cardiovascular risk management are also on the rise. The realisation that cancer survivors may die early from heart disease has prompted much research into the management of cardiovascular risk factors before, during and after cancer treatment.

Cardio-oncology is a relatively new yet vital concept in the optimal care of patients with cancer.

While, traditionally, cardiology and oncology teams operate as separate entities, cardio-oncology is progressing as a specialised field internationally.  In Australia, however, research collaboration between cancer experts and cardiologists is still in its infancy, with a scarcity of dedicated funding and clinical services.  COSA took the bold move to address this gap by making cardio-oncology a focus on its 2020 program.  The benefits that simultaneous cardiovascular and cancer care can have on overall patient outcomes cannot be ignored.

Open access to the COSA 2020 program

Oral abstracts on the WWW: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ajco.13497

Oral abstracts as PDF: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ajco.13497

2020 finale: New-look website and publication platform

As a finale for this year and to provide you with some reading as we slide into the holiday season, KMG Communications is rolling out a suite of articles, summarising the highlights of key posters and oral presentations under the cardio-oncology theme at COSA 2020, with a particular focus on the role of exercise in the cancer patient's treatment journey.

This coincides with the release of our new KMG Communications website and revised publication platform, Heart Health for Athletes. We look forward to presenting you with cutting edge commentary on the latest research here in Australia and overseas. Enjoy the first release of our new-look publications by following us as we review the 2020 COSA ASM. For our latest updates and news, please visit us at www.kmgcommunications.com.au

References

1. COSA's 47th Annual Scientific Meeting Quality and Safety Implementation Science Cardio-Oncology, 11-13 November 2020. Asia Pac J Clin Oncol. 2020 Nov;16 Suppl 8:58-207. doi: 10.1111/ajco.13497. PMID: 33161624. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33161624/

This article was first published at KMG Communications on 7 December 2020.