Letter of the Directors
The International Symposium on Advanced Ovarian Cancer: Optimal Therapy. Update was founded by Dr. Andrés Poveda and Prof. Jan B. Vermorken and each edition has been directed by them.
On 1st March 2013 its ninth edition was held. This symposium is organized every other year by GEICO (Grupo Español de Investigación de Cáncer de Ovario, Spanish Ovarian Research Group), and, since 2009, together with ESMO (European Society for Medical Oncology). Its next edition will be held on 6th March 2015.
GEICO (www.grupogeico.org) was founded in June, 1999 and from its beginning has developed its own studies as well as collaborated with international groups involved in the Research on ovarian cancer such as EORTC, NSGO, NCIC and GCIG. GEICO members are medical oncologists, gynecologist and molecular biologists especially interested in the study and research of gynecological tumors. They belong to different hospitals all over Spain. GEICO is part of the GCIG (Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup).
The meeting is held under the auspices of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), the Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup (GCIG), and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), Educational Committee for its Medical Oncology Recertification Approval (ESMO/MORA) Program.
One hundred and fifty people attended the symposium’s first edition, held in 1996. Since then, the interest in this meeting has increased. Last edition (2013), more than five hundred people coming not only from Spain but also from Europe, North and Latin America, Asia and Australia were present in the symposium.
Some important international cooperative groups, from Europe, America and Australia collaborate with this symposium such as GOG, NCIC, AGO, EORTC, ANZGOG, GINECO, GEICO, JGOG, KGOG, MRC, MITO, MANGO, SWOG, etc.
From the 2nd edition (1999), the entire papers have been published in the “International Journal of Gynecological Cancer” (Blackwell. 2000, vol. 10; supp. 1. 2001, vol. 11; supp. 1. 2003, vol. 13, supp. 2. 2005, vol. 15; supp. 3; 2008, vol. 18, supp. 1; Wolters Kluwer Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 2009, vol. 19, supp. 2), and “Annals of Oncology” (Oxford University Press 2011, vol. 22, supp. 8, and 2013, vol. 24, supp. 10).
Our meeting has the category of a classic educational activity where many people come to teach, to learn, and also to discuss the value of how standard as well as new approaches are being incorporated into the management of ovarian cancer. In this symposium, held in one day, we cover all hot topics concerning diagnosis, biology and therapy of ovarian cancer.
We look forward to meeting you in the next edition!
Andrés Poveda & Jan B. Vermorken
Directors