By Alex Carolan, ASCO Publishing

The 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting included groundbreaking science that has the potential to influence oncology care for years to come, but how should that science be applied in practice? The NLM-indexed 2019 ASCO Educational Book aims to answer that question with compelling, peer-reviewed articles that address issues in surgical, radiation, and medical oncology; symptom management; health services research; global health; pathology; and immuno-oncology.

“The ASCO Educational Book takes the knowledge presented during Education Sessions at the ASCO Annual Meeting and provides clinical guidance on topics that are immediately relevant, which includes context for new study results,” said Don S. Dizon, MD, FACP, FASCO, editor in chief of the ASCO Educational Book.

Nathan Pennell, MD, PhD, and Hope Rugo, MD, FASCO, serve as associate editors.

A Resource for All Oncologists

The ASCO Educational Book can serve as a resource for oncologists at every career stage, from trainees to experienced practitioners.

“Often, I look to the ASCO Educational Book for topics that I’m familiar with, but maybe not up to date on. For example, my focus is primarily gynecologic cancers, but I do treat women who have breast cancer. The book’s content is something I utilize to get a summary approach on breast cancer,” Dr. Dizon said.

There are numerous benefits to reviewing the content of the book. It provides a valuable summary of the content presented during Education Sessions for health care professionals who aren’t able to attend the ASCO Annual Meeting. It is valuable for oncologists who seek to increase their general knowledge on cancer-related topics. It can also be used to meet independent criteria to maintain board certification.

“You are getting expert assessments of the contemporary literature that serve as a foundation for keeping up with current trends and discoveries,” Dr. Dizon said.

A Collection of Diverse Perspectives

Since becoming editor in chief in 2012, Dr. Dizon has made it his goal to increase the multidisciplinary nature of the ASCO Educational Book, starting with articles authored by the ASCO Annual Meeting faculty.

The book “doesn’t only focus on the science, which would be the easy way out. We want to bring in views on research that is impacting the art and practice of oncology,” Dr. Dizon said. “We’re making sure that all aspects of oncology are important and reflected.”

Along with faculty-authored articles, the 2019 ASCO Educational Book features five invited articles on the representation of racial minorities in clinical trials, financial toxicity and access to clinical trials, improving survival after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, pain management for patients with advanced cancer, and changes to HIV-associated malignancies.

“This year’s ASCO Educational Book is special because of the multidisciplinary and multi-author contributions we received. These were not only senior oncologists, but new voices such as junior academic oncologists and trainees,” Dr. Dizon said. “Our mission has been to broaden perspectives within the book so that it is more than a medical oncology journal.”

The 2019 digital edition is free to access. Purchase a print copy of the 2019 ASCO Educational Book.

The Editor in Chief’s Reading List

For oncology professionals who, like Dr. Dizon, are interested in women’s health, he recommends the following articles from the 2019 ASCO Educational Book: 

• Redrawing the Lines: The Next Generation of Treatment in Metastatic Breast Cancer
• The Evolving Landscape of Chemotherapy in Newly Diagnosed Advanced Epithelial Ovarian Cancer
• Invited Article: New Approaches to Improving Survival After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: The Role of Intraperitoneal Therapy and Heated Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy in Ovarian Cancer