ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Cancer experts from around the world will gather to share the latest clinical cancer research impacting patient care at the 55^th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Advances in targeted therapies for pancreatic, prostate, and pediatric cancers, as well as new approaches to overcoming limited access to cancer care are among the topics that will be highlighted in the meeting’s official Press Program.  

The 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting, taking place May 31-June 4 in Chicago, will bring together more than 32,000 oncology professionals from across the globe. The theme of this year’s conference is Caring for Every Patient, Learning From Every Patient. 

More than 2,400 abstracts were accepted for presentation at the Annual Meeting, and more than 3,200 additional abstracts were accepted for online publication. The vast majority of these abstracts will be publicly posted on abstracts.asco.org on Wednesday, May 15, at 5:00 p.m. ET. Late-Breaking Abstracts (LBAs), including Plenary abstracts, will be released on site throughout the Annual Meeting and highlighted in daily press briefings. The complete embargo schedule is available online.  

EMBARGOED PRESSCAST – Wednesday, May 15, 12:00 noon ET 
To coincide with the release of abstracts on May 15, an embargoed presscast for media will be held earlier that day to highlight four significant abstracts from this group. The embargo will lift on May 15 at 5:00 p.m. ET for the following studies presented in this virtual presscast: 

• Nearly 20-year data from the Women’s Health Initiative trial of dietary modification assessing the impact of a balanced, low-fat diet on the risk of death due to breast cancer among postmenopausal women. (Abstract 520)  
• A randomized, phase III clinical trial assessing a palliative chemotherapy regimen for older and frail people with gastroesophageal cancer who are unable to tolerate standard chemotherapy. (Abstract 4006) 
• A phase I/IB study evaluating the targeted therapy entrectinib in pediatric patients with solid tumours including central nervous system cancers that harbor specific gene mutations. (Abstract 10009) 
• A study looking at the frequency of targetable molecular alterations in pediatric cancers among patients enrolled in the phase II NCI-Children’s Oncology Group Pediatric Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice (NCI-COG Pediatric MATCH) clinical trial. (Abstract 10011) 
• A phase II/III randomized trial comparing lenalidomide to observation in people who were asymptomatic but at high-risk of progressing to multiple myeloma. (Abstract 8001)​

RESEARCH TO BE RELEASED ON SITE AT THE ANNUAL MEETING 
During the Annual Meeting, a “News of the Day” press briefing will be held on Friday, May 31 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. CT and Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (May 31-June 3) from 8:00-9:00 a.m. CT. LBAs that will be featured in these daily, on-site press briefings are listed below. An updated press briefing schedule detailing which abstracts will be highlighted in each daily press briefing – including additions to the list below – will be posted by Friday, May 24. 

• An analysis of electronic health records looking at the relationship between the Affordable Care Act-related Medicaid expansion and racial disparities in receiving timely cancer treatment. (Abstract LBA1, Plenary)  
• A randomized, phase III trial evaluating the impact of adding enzalutamide to standard initial treatment for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. (Abstract LBA2, Plenary) 
• A randomized, phase III trial exploring maintenance therapy with the PARP inhibitor olaparib among people with pancreatic cancer who had an inherited BRCA gene mutation. (Abstract LBA4, Plenary) 
• An analysis looking at whether private insurance and regional income impacts survival for people with multiple myeloma. (Abstract LBA107) 
• A study looking at the potential impact of new strategies to expand patient eligibility for clinical trials for advanced non-small cell lung cancer. (Abstract LBA108) 
• A randomized, phase III trial comparing ribociclib with a placebo in women with HR+/HER2-positive advanced breast cancer. (Abstract LBA1008)​
• A randomized, phase III trial comparing laparoscopic surgery to open surgery in people whose colorectal cancer had metastasized to the liver. (Abstract LBA3516) 
• A phase III trial evaluating pembrolizumab with or without chemotherapy versus chemotherapy for advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancers. (Abstract LBA4007)​
• A single arm, phase II clinical trial exploring enfortumab vedotin monotherapy in patients with locally advanced or metastatic forms of urothelial cancer. (Abstract LBA4505)​
• An analysis of the National Cancer Database looking at the correlation between the Affordable Care Act and early-stage ovarian cancer diagnoses and time to treatment. (Abstract LBA5563) 
• Five-year survival data from the KEYNOTE-001 trial looking at the safety and effectiveness of pembrolizumab in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. (Abstract LBA9015) 
• A survey of gynecologic oncologists examining sexual harassment and gender bias. (Abstract LBA10502) 

MEDIA RESOURCES 
Media registration: To participate in the embargoed May 15 presscast and/or register to attend the ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago, please visit ASCO’s Media Headquarters at mediahq.asco.org. Step-by-step instructions are available online. 

Media Headquarters submission must be completed no later than Friday, May 10, to participate in the May 15 presscast. Pre-registration is required for on-site attendance and must be completed by Friday, May 17. 

Annual Meeting Media Resource Center: Visit asco.org/AMMRC for press releases, the press briefing schedule, embargo policies, high-resolution photos, and the Virtual Press Room (an online repository of corporate and institutional press materials from third-party organizations). 

Cancer.Net: ASCO’s website for oncologist-approved patient information

###