Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA) 53rd Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM)

Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA) 53rd Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) is organized by Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA) and will be held from Nov 11 - 13, 2026 at ICC Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Description:
The disease theme will have a strong focus on lung cancers, alongside sessions addressing head and neck cancers, early-onset cancers such as colorectal cancer, and brain cancer, including both primary and metastatic disease. As always, equity will be embedded throughout the program, reflecting COSA’s ongoing commitment to improving outcomes for all people affected by cancer.

It has been almost a decade since the COSA ASM was held in Sydney, so we are excited to bring it back to showcase the remarkable advances that have transformed cancer care over this time, including the molecular biomarker realm and the evolution of novel transformative therapeutics.

Australia has developed deep expertise across clinical care, research and clinical trials, implementation and policy, and the program will highlight this local leadership alongside contributions from international experts in the fields of drug development, precision oncology, pharmacogenomics and palliative and supportive care.

We have kept the following key points top of mind:

• Personalised cancer care across the continuum from prevention to diagnosis, treatment and survivorship, is critical to enabling optimal outcomes
• Adequate personalisation of treatment extends beyond the now backbone of tumour informed molecular biomarkers, to holistic patient tailored treatment and survivorship; catering to frailty, sarcopenia, malnutrition, obesity and older people to name a few
• The importance of multidisciplinary networks to deliver personalised cancer care remains essential, but the next challenge is multisector collaboration. Too often, evidence-based advances fail to translate to practice. Optimising implementation and addressing recurrent gaps in health care systems Australia wide is priority.  
• Consumer partnership and the patient voice is key in all aspects we do from designing research to securing funding, to service delivery and evaluation.
• Embedding a culture of openness, communication, respect and empowerment is vital for workforce wellbeing and sustainable cancer care. We learn from the broad experience of the cancer care workforce through history how to better foster workplaces which prevent burnout and encourage all members to flourish.
• Respecting diversity and tailoring our interventions and communication approaches to the person in front of us regardless of age, ethnicity, culture, sexuality/gender and disability is fundamental for informed joint decision making and achieving truly personalised cancer care.