Newswise — PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA and ORLANDO, FL [February 27, 2020] — Cancer care providers will gather in Orlando on March 20-22 for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) 2020 Annual Conference: Celebrating 25 Years of NCCN. The three-day, in-person conference features more than 30 educational sessions on state-of-the-art practices in cancer care. Leading experts from NCCN’s 28 Member Institutions will present on new and emerging therapies, keys to optimization and implementation of treatment, and best practices in delivering oncology care across the continuum.

“Cancer care has evolved dramatically since NCCN was founded 25 years ago,” said Robert W. Carlson, MD, Chief Executive Officer, NCCN. “We’ve seen impressive reductions in mortality rates for some cancer types, while we’re just starting to scratch the surface for others. There are more treatment options than ever before, and guidelines are essential for staying up-to-date on the latest evidence. This conference serves to educate health care providers on how to optimize cancer management by applying current standards and key updates from the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®), to evaluate emerging novel therapeutic agents and strategies, and to improve collaboration across the oncology care team.”

More than 1,500 attendees will learn the latest in global cancer prevention efforts, with a keynote session titled: Strategies for Prevention and Control of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)-Associated Cancers. The majority of all HPV-related cancers could be prevented with a vaccination, but there are significant barriers to overcome. This interactive session will examine issues surrounding HPV-associated malignancies and explore strategies for encouraging appropriate prevention and screening. The session will be moderated by Wui-Jin Koh, MD, Chief Medical Officer for NCCN, and include a multi-stakeholder panel of experts:

  • Lillian R. Kreppel, HPV Alliance
  • Shivan J. Mehta, MD, MBA, MSHP, University of Pennsylvania
  • Mark H. Sawyer, MD, Rady Children's Hospital San Diego
  • Julie S. Torode, PhD, Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)
  • Susan T. Vadaparampil, PhD, MPH, Moffitt Cancer Center

Clinical sessions will present the latest updates in the management of various cancer types, including:

  • Acute Myeloid Leukemia
  • Bladder Cancer
  • Breast Cancer (both early stage and metastatic)
  • Colon Cancer
  • Endometrial Cancer
  • Gliomas
  • Head & Neck Cancers (HPV-associated)
  • Kidney Cancer
  • Lung Cancer
  • Ovarian Cancer
  • Pancreatic Cancer
  • Prostate Cancer
  • Rectal Cancer

New this year, the conference will feature morning Interesting Case Review sessions in which panels of experts will discuss specific patient cases. The conference will also tackle topics where there are differing perspectives including a panel on controversies in cancer risk assessment and management of hereditary cancers, a debate on optimal first-line therapy for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and an emerging issues roundtable discussion on Cancer Care in an Election Year. That roundtable will focus on different health care policy proposals and their potential impact on oncology care delivery. It will also examine the top policy decisions that could have the greatest impact on outcomes and coverage for people with cancer. The roundtable will be moderated by Clifford Goodman, PhD, of The Lewin Group, and include the following participants representing a variety of viewpoints:

  • Keysha Brooks-Coley, MA, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
  • Lee Newcomer, MD, MHA, Lee N. Newcomer Consulting
  • Ted Okon, MBA, Community Oncology Alliance
  • John O’Shea, MD, The Heritage Foundation
  • Kavita Patel, MD, MS, The Brookings Institution

This year also includes the addition of best practices sessions focusing on incorporating patient-reported outcomes, implementing clinical trials in the community setting, adopting a value-based payment model, navigating the changing reimbursement environment, and the role of biosimilars in oncology. 

The NCCN Nursing Program: Advancing Oncology Nursing™, specifically intended for oncology nurses, will take place on March 19. For fellows, there are new opportunities for learning from, and interacting with, established oncology experts through a complimentary educational program on March 19, with a networking reception immediately following. Innovative data will be presented as part of the NCCN Oncology Research Program’s General Poster Sessions on March 20 and 21 and Oral Presentations on March 22. The General Poster Session will include the addition of two expert-guided tours, with question-and-answer sessions for the first time this year.

The conference will also commemorate NCCN’s 25th anniversary year with a celebration event and interactive timeline display.

Visit NCCN.org/conference for more information and a complete list of speakers, and join the conversation online with the hashtag #NCCN2020.

# # #

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) is a not-for-profit alliance of 28 leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education. NCCN is dedicated to improving and facilitating quality, effective, efficient, and accessible cancer care so patients can live better lives. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. By defining and advancing high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers around the world.

The NCCN Member Institutions are: Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Omaha, NE; Case Comprehensive Cancer Center/University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland, OH; City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ, Jacksonville, FL, and Rochester, MN; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH; O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, Birmingham, AL; Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY; Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital/The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN; Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, CA; UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, CO; University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI; Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN; and Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital, New Haven, CT.

Clinicians, visit NCCN.org. Patients and caregivers, visit NCCN.org/patients. Media, visit NCCN.org/news. Follow NCCN on Twitter @NCCN, Facebook @NCCNorg, and Instagram @NCCNorg.

Meeting Link: 2020 Annual Conference: Celebrating 25 Years of NCCN