ASCO and the Korean Society of Medical Oncology (KSMO) held their third Joint Symposium in September at KSMO 2021, with discussions on next-generation sequencing and clinical trial designs, precision medicine, and palliative care. 

The first session in the ASCO/KSMO Joint Symposium, "Integrating Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) Into Clinical Practices: Sharing Real-World Experiences," was co-chaired by 2021-2022 ASCO president Dr. Everett E. Vokes and KSMO president Dr. Jin-Hyuk Choi. NGS has become an important tool in precision medicine, and its use is also expanding in clinical practice. As there are still issues about how to use NGS in the clinical environment and in clinical trials, experts from ASCO and KSMO were invited to share their opinions on various aspects of the topic:

• "Tumor Sequencing Strategies in Different Clinical Settings": Dr. Lillian L. Siu, of Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (ASCO)
• "Promises and Pitfalls in Tissue-Agnostic Clinical Trial Designs": Dr. Vivek Subbiah, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (ASCO)
• "Challenges in Clinical Decision-Making Based on Sequencing Data": Dr. Kyong Hwa Park, of Korea University Anam Hospital (KSMO)

Above: Chairs and speakers at the first session of the ASCO/KSMO Joint Symposium.

The second session, “The Ladder of Cancer Treatment: Precision Medicine and Palliative Care,” was co-chaired by ASCO chief medical officer and executive vice president Dr. Julie Gralow and KSMO vice president Dr. Keon Uk Park. This session covered the latest knowledge in immuno-oncology (IO) as an adjuvant treatment and the direction of palliative care in the United States and South Korea. Expert discussions included:

• “Adjuvant Therapy With IO: Does One Size Fit All? Selection of Patients for IO Therapy”: Dr. Rodabe N. Amaria, of Harvard Medical School (ASCO)
• “Conducting Clinical Trials of Adjuvant Treatment With Targeted Therapy”: Dr. Yeon Hee Park, of Samsung Medical Center (KSMO)
• “Incorporation of Palliative Care in ASCO”: Dr. Ishwaria Subbiah, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (ASCO)
• “Introduction of the Korean Academy of Supportive Care in Cancer”: Dr. Jung Hye Kwon, of Chungnam National University Sejong Hospital (KSMO)

Above: Chairs and speakers at the second session of the ASCO/KSMO Joint Symposium.

The ASCO/KSMO Joint Symposium has been held annually at the KSMO International Conference since 2018. KSMO has been actively cultivating expertise in medical oncology since its foundation in 2005 and is developing into the largest nationwide cancer organization comprised of physicians and health care professionals committed to the multidisciplinary approach for optimal cancer care in South Korea. KSMO 2021 was held virtually with live interactive discussion on September 2-3, with 1,703 participants worldwide.

KSMO 2022 will be held September 1-2, 2022, in Seoul, South Korea. Information will be updated on the KSMO Conference Website as KSMO 2022 approaches. Visit the ASCO Calendar of Events to learn more about upcoming oncology meetings around the world.