#LCSM Chat Topic 6/4/2020: #ASCO20 Roundup for #LungCancer
Please join #LCSM Chat Thursday, June 4, 2020, at 8 pm Eastern time (5 pm Pacific) to discuss the ASCO 2020 Annual Virtual Meeting presentations related to lung cancer.
Usually, the ASCO Annual Meeting is held in Chicago, Illinois at the end of May/beginning of June, and attracts over 40,000 attendees from around the world. Due to social distancing recommended during the COVID-19 pandemic, ASCO 2020 is being conducted virtually this year. The scientific program happened May 29-31, and the educational program will happen August 8-10. The meeting was FREE to ASCO members, and also free to patients and caregivers who emailed a request to attend, so many more people were able to access its content.
Several lung cancer specialists shared their list of top ASCO 2020 lung cancer abstracts online:
- Dr. Alfredo Addeo: https://twitter.com/Alfdoc2/status/1264834675220066306
- Dr. Antonio Calles: https://twitter.com/Tony_Calles/status/1265024789963563008
- Dr. Martín Lázaro: https://twitter.com/mlazqui/status/1264670162843840514
- Dr. Stephen V. Liu and Dr. Zofia Piotrowska: https://www.clinicaloptions.com/oncology/conference-coverage/clin-onc-2020/clinicalthought/ct1/page-1
- Dr. Antonio Passaro: https://twitter.com/APassaroMD/status/1264900345752420352
- Dr. Nate Pennell: https://twitter.com/n8pennell/status/1264589891058499584
It’s impossible to summarize all of the ASCO 2020 scientific sessions about lung cancer in one hour, but we’ll give it our best shot! Janet Freeman-Daily (@JFreemanDaily) will moderate our discussion using the following questions:
- T1: What information was presented at #ASCO20 about COVID-19 and cancer?
- T2: What were the top abstracts at #ASCO20 specifically about lung cancer (screening, diagnosis, treatment, care)?
- T3: What key abstracts at #ASCO20 related to policy or patient care might influence lung cancer care?
- T4: What upsides or downsides do you see for the #ASCO20 virtual meeting format (compared to the usual in-person format)?
Please join us, and bring your experiences and wisdom! Remember to include #LCSM in ALL your tweets so the other chat participants can see them. You can read a primer on participating in the chat here.
#LCSM Chat Topic 5/7/2020: #COVID19 testing and #lungcancer: Where we stand today
The COVID-19 pandemic is scary, and the situation continues to evolve. Lung cancer patients and families may have little understanding of COVID-19 testing or how it may affect patient care. And there is plenty of confusion out there!
For our next chat, “COVID-19 testing and lung cancer: Where we stand today,” we will discuss these concerns with pulmonary pathologists and molecular pathologists, who are on the cutting edge of COVID-19 test development and use.
Please join #LCSM Chat Thursday, May 7, 2020, at 8 pm Eastern time (5 pm Pacific) to discuss COVID-19 testing and lung cancer. Pathologist Dr. Timothy Craig Allen (@TimAllenMDJD) will moderate our discussion using the following questions:
- T1: What tests are used to determine if a patient currently has COVID-19? Are they all equally accurate?
- T2: What tests are used to determine if a patient has previously had COVID-19? Are they all equally accurate?
- T3: Can an antibody test tell if a person is now immune to, and no longer infectious with, COVID-19? If not, why?
- T4: Why might someone be unable to get a lung biopsy during the pandemic?
- T5: What tests might doctors use to diagnose lung cancer or assess cancer progression if a biopsy is not possible?
Please join us, and bring your experiences and wisdom! Remember to include #LCSM in ALL your tweets so the other chat participants can see them. You can read a primer on participating in the chat here.
#LCSM Chat Topic 4/2/2020: #COVID19 and #LungCancer
It seems that the world has turned upside down. At the time I write this, there have been almost 550,00 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in the world and over 85,000 in the US. Here in New York City there have been over 23,000 cases and 365 deaths as of March 27th (https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html).
The pandemic has placed enormous stress on our health care delivery system. For lung cancer patients, it has affected healthcare providers’ ability to perform tests and radiologic procedures; provide timely diagnosis, staging, and care for early stage patients; and, in some cases, continue the treatment regimen for patients with stage IV disease.
Significantly, it has also interrupted the human interactions that many of us depend upon. Patients and doctors are for the most part unable to communicate face-to-face and are increasingly relying upon telemedicine to communicate when available. The situation has left patients out of touch and likely very anxious. With everyone focusing their resources on COVID-19, will cancer patients be forgotten?
There is also justifiable concern among lung cancer patients that their underlying lung disease, side effects of treatment (such as lung scarring), or medications (such as those that suppress the immune system or predispose them to pneumonitis) will increase their risk of severe respiratory illness should they contract the virus.
With this in mind we will tackle the topic of COVID-19 and lung cancer in our April 2, 2020, #LCSM Chat at 8 pm Eastern time (5 pm Pacific). Many questions are still not answerable, but we believe it is valuable for the lung cancer community to come together, share ideas, and support each other. With that in mind, Dr. Brendon Stiles (@BrendonStilesMD) will moderate our discussion of the following questions:
- T1: How is #COVID19 personally affecting your lung cancer care or care delivery?
- T2: Are lung cancer patients more at risk for severe #COVID19?
- T3: What are the risks of delaying treatment of lung cancer?
- T4: What are your greatest #COVID19 concerns as a member of the lung cancer community?
- T5: What can advocates and medical professionals do to help the lung cancer community?
Please join us, and bring your experiences and wisdom! Remember to include #LCSM in ALL your tweets so the other chat participants can see them. You can read a primer on participating in the chat here.
