Experts from the Asia Pacific, India, Middle East, US & UK

Return to one of the first in-person events in more than two years

Dubai, UAE: Singapore hosted hosting a series of oncology related meetings which started from August 18 and ran through August 21, marking their first return to live and in-person events in more than two years since the start of the covid pandemic.

The 2nd edition of the Young Women’s Forum (YWF), the 6th International BRCA Forum (iBRCAf), and the 9th Asia Pacific Gastroenterology Cancer Summit (APGCS) took place in conjunction with each other at the Grand Hyatt Singapore to bring the best clinical practices and scientific updates from global leaders, discuss difficult cases, and understand multidisciplinary approaches for managing breast cancer in young women.

The scientific and organizing committees of YWF, iBRCAf, and APGCS were committed to presenting new scientific evidences from global leaders, the impact of precision medicine on patient care, standards of care and protocols in management of cancers, and aims to foster collaborations by providing a panel for multidisciplinary teams to discuss difficult cases and build a future perspective for the Asia Pacific and Middle Eastern region.

The events are the brainchild and result of tireless collaborations between oncologists and experts from the Asia Pacific, India, Middle East, US, and UK. More than 20 countries participated with large attendance from Singapore, Malaysia, India, Philippines, and Indonesia. The three events witnessed 130 expert speakers throughout 25 scientific sessions and 10 poster presentation displaying the most advanced information. Attendees also received CME accredited hours via Singapore Medical Council.

The Young Women’s Forum head started the series on Thursday, August 18 to bring attention to the difficult facts that young women with breast cancer face while undergoing treatment options, most of which are based on clinical data from older women. YWF also shed light on how being afflicted with a complex disease at such a young age affects crucial part of lives from reproductive cycles, family life, and careers.

More than 160 people were in physical attendance for YMF and another 550 were attending virtually.

YWF was organized by Dr. Rebecca Dent, NCCS, Singapore; Dr Veronique Tan, NCCS, Singapore; and Dr. Tira Tan, NCCS, Singapore & Dr. Shaheenah Dawood, Mediclinic Hospital, Dubai

The International Breast Cancer Forum, held on Friday, August 19, presented both clinicians and researchers with the most up-to-date information on hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. iBRCAf will see around 200 physical attendees and more than 600 attending virtually.

iBRCAf was one of the foremost international scientific hybrid forums on hereditary cancer, as it is now known that people who inherit harmful variants of Breast Cancer Gene 1 and Breast Cancer Gene 2 have an increased risks of being diagnosed with several cancers, most notably breast and ovarian cancer. iBRCAf responds to the needs and interests of clinical researchers and specialists in the field, as well as those of primary care providers who want to know more about how to evaluate their patients and to whom to refer them.

iBRCAf was organized by Dr. Shaheenah Dawood, Mediclinic Hospital, Dubai; Dr. Shona Nag, Sahayadri Group of Hospitals, India; Dr. Zhang Zewen, NCCS, Singapore.

The Asia Pacific Gastroenterology Summit ran from August 20-21 and hosted global and regional gastric cancer experts. The summit returned to bring world class specialists in the field of Upper GI and Esophageal Cancers, Hepatobiliary Malignancies, Pancreatic & Colorectal Cancer with insightful presentations, interactive tumor boards, and robust debates.

APGCS witnessed worldwide leaders in the field live to share their wisdom and expert opinions, and expounded on the latest scientific data with dynamic forums, debates, and multidisciplinary tumor boards. APGCS had the largest turnout with nearly 250 people attending on-site and more than 700 attended virtually over the course of 2 days.

APGCS was organized by Dr. Shaheenah Dawood, Mediclinic Hospital, Dubai; Prof. Toh Han Chong, NCCS, Singapore; Prof. Pierce Chow, NCCS, Singapore; and Dr. Iain Tan, NCCS Singapore.

Prof. Toh Han Chong, NCCS, Singapore, stated: “This is a year of exceptional excitement, highs and lows, and breathtaking breakthroughs in GI cancers. Antibodies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, continue to improve lives across many GI cancers.”

He continued: “The small clinical trial report of 100% overall response rate with neoadjuvant Dostarlimab-gxly in mismatch repair-deficient rectal cancer captures global attention with its romance of future possibility. Liquid biopsy, biomarkers, precision oncology and colorectal cancer anatomical sidedness all make their mark.”

Eng. Anas Al Madani, Vice Chairman and Group CEO of INDEX Holding, stated: “Our lead team from the UAE has been taking care of oncology meetings in Singapore for the past six years, so we were excited for the upcoming events as it has been two years since we’ve last had them. We have kept our relations strong over these times and our partners and contributors in Singapore have been overwhelmingly cooperative with our UAE office, leaving us all excited and optimistic moving forward.”

He continued: “Singapore is an incredible country that cares deeply about the health and healing of all people, which was adamantly expressed during these conferences.”

INDEX Conferences and Exhibitions based in Dubai, UAE has handled the preparations and logistics of all three events in Singapore, adding their much-needed expertise of returning to in-person events in the past year. With global travel and meeting protocols still complex, keeping communities and visitors safe in the current situation is always top priority. So, to add another layer of safety and to accommodate those who could not travel, all events were held in a hybrid format and were streamed virtually from the Grand Hyatt, Singapore to a global audience with the commitment of providing an engaging and memorable experience.

INDEX Conferences and Exhibitions Org. Est, a subsidiary of INDEX Holding, are the official organizers and Congress Secretariat of these three events, with support from Myanmar Oncology Society, Japanese Society of Medical Oncology, Philippines Society of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Society Malaysia, Professional Society of Genetic Counselors in Asia (PSGCA), and Singapore Society of Oncology.