This page contains important information for corporate and institutional public relations professionals about the ASCO Annual Meeting and upcoming co-sponsored Symposia.

2023 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium

Key Dates

  • Mid-December: Abstract titles released
  • December 14, 2023, at 11: 59 PM (ET): Early registration and hotel reservation deadline
  • January 17, 2023, at 5:00 PM ET: Embargo lifts and regular abstracts released; Late-Breaking Abstracts (LBAs) will be released at 7:00 AM (PT) on their day of presentation at the meeting
  • January 19-21, 2023: ASCO Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers Symposium

Meeting Information

2023 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium

Key Dates

  • Mid-January: Abstract titles released
  • January 11, 2023, at 11: 59 PM (ET): Early registration and hotel reservation deadline
  • February 13, 2023, at 5:00 PM ET: Embargo lifts and regular abstracts released; Late-Breaking Abstracts (LBAs) will be released at 7:00 AM (PT) on their day of presentation at the meeting
  • February 16-18, 2023: ASCO Genitourinary (GU) Cancers Symposium

Meeting Information

ASCO Plenary Series

Key Dates

  • January 23, 2023, at 5:00 PM ET: Embargo on abstracts featured in the January session lifts
  • January 24, 2023, at 3:00 PM ET: January ASCO Plenary Series Session
  • February 14, 2023, at 5:00 PM ET: Embargo on abstracts featured in the February session lifts
  • February 15, 2023, at 3:00 PM ET: February ASCO Plenary Series Session
  • March 21, 2023, at 5:00 PM ET: Embargo on abstracts featured in the March session lifts
  • March 22, 2023, at 3:00 PM ET: March ASCO Plenary Series Session
  • April 19, 2023, at 5:00 PM ET: Embargo on abstracts featured in the April session lifts
  • April 20, 2023, at 3:00 PM ET: April ASCO Plenary Series Session

Meeting Information​

Virtual Press Room Information

The Virtual Press Room will allow media to access corporate and institutional press releases pertaining to the ASCO Annual Meeting and co-sponsored thematic Symposia. Please refer to the meeting's Corporate and Institutional Public Relations Policies for the press release requirements. The link to the Virtual Press Room will be included in the press kit provided to media attending the meeting(s) and posted on ASCO’s online Press Center in lieu of being displayed onsite.

Virtual Press Room Guidelines

Due to the high volume of submissions, ASCO staff encourage you to submit your press release as soon as it is finalized. Please refer to the specific meeting tabs for the relevant submission deadlines for all press releases to be posted.

Press releases that meet the criteria outlined in the corresponding meeting's Corporate and Institutional Public Relations Policies will be permitted in the Virtual Press Room:

  • All materials for the Virtual Press Room must be emailed to the Virtual Press Room.
  • Following the 24-hour review period, ASCO staff will notify you that your release has been accepted for posting or that further changes are needed.
  • Press releases cannot be updated once they are posted but they can be removed.
  • ASCO reserves the right to make judgments and/or decisions about any issues that arise that are not covered in these guidelines.
  • Press releases must directly relate to meeting abstracts and fully adhere to ASCO’s embargo policies.
  • Press releases must prominently display the corresponding abstract number(s) at the top of the first page.
  • Press packets, and promotional/marketing materials (corporate reports, product promotions, giveaways) are prohibited.
  • ASCO’s logos and/or graphic representations of the ASCO name may not be used without written permission.

Contact Us

  • Email general questions regarding ASCO's corporate and institutional public relations policies
  • Email questions regarding abstract confidentiality policy exceptions
  • Email virtual Press Room inquiries/submissions

Public Relations Policies for ASCO Journals

General Embargo Policies

ASCO’s peer-reviewed journals follow a continuous publication schedule, publishing the newest content online on a daily basis. The embargo date and time of a journal article coincide with its online publication date and time. ASCO Communications Staff cannot provide publication dates. To request an estimated publication time frame (i.e., weeks, months, etc.) or specific publication date, please contact the journal directly:

Public affairs staff, authors, and/or study sponsors are responsible for ensuring their media outreach efforts do not result in an embargo violation. For this reason, widespread electronic distribution of embargoed press releases is strongly discouraged. ASCO does however permit the following media activities:

  • Public affairs staff, authors and/or study sponsors may publicize in-press studies on an embargoed basis up to one week prior to the embargo (publication) date, provided the final publication date and time have been confirmed by the journal.
  • Embargoed interviews with journalists may be held during the one-week period only. Authors conducting interviews should reiterate the embargo (publication) date and time with journalists.

ASCO cannot provide public affairs staff, authors and/or study sponsors with copies of journal articles until embargoes have lifted. Any media requests for embargoed copies of studies should be directed to the ASCO Media Team.

ASCO reserves the exclusive right to publicize issues of ASCO journals in their entirety; authors may only publicize their own manuscripts.

News Digest and Featured Article Studies

ASCO occasionally highlights select journal studies for media in one of two ways:

  • A press release known as a News Digest
  • A brief, bulleted summary known as a Featured Article

Authors and their institutional public affairs representatives (if applicable) will be notified prior to publication should their study be selected for a News Digest or Featured Article. Once notified that a study has been selected for a News Digest or Featured Article, institutional public affairs representatives and/or authors must coordinate media outreach efforts with the ASCO Media Team.

For News Digest and Featured Article studies, the same general embargo policies as above apply with one exception:

  • Institutional public affairs staff and/or authors may request a copy of the embargoed study and accompanying News Digest or Featured Article summary up to one week prior to the embargo lift.

Prior Presentation Policy

Authors may submit study abstracts that have manuscripts in process with an ASCO journal to scientific meetings for presentation prior to the publication date. In these instances, authors may participate in official meeting press events so long as the events are organized by the meeting itself as opposed to the institution or the sponsor. Information shared with reporters should be limited to the information that is being shared in the scientific presentation, with the exception that authors are free to answer reporter questions that may fall outside the bounds of the presentation.

All questions regarding the embargo policies can be directed to ASCO’s Communications Department.