News & Events

News

Welcome to the South African Society of Medical Oncology. The official society of health care professionals treating cancer by systemic means.

Here you will find information on different types of cancer and treatment options. Schedules of upcoming meetings and conferences, with agendas of some of these will be available online. Want to raise issues with SASMO committee members? Here is an important route!

Message from the current ESMO President David Kerr (May 2011):

" Dear members of the ESMO Community,

Earlier this year it was announced that Medical Oncology had finally been included among the medical specialties covered by the EU Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications.

It was my privilege to be ESMO President at the time of this announcement, but every ESMO President, without exception, has brought ESMO one step closer to realizing this goal. Since the founding of our Society in France in 1975 by George Mathé and Maurice Schneider, it has been ESMO’s ardent goal to achieve the recognition of medical oncology throughout Europe. Silvio Monfardini, Italy (1985-1987), continued Mathé’s and Schneider’s efforts and actively pursued the establishment of medical oncology as an officially recognized specialty with a well-defined training curriculum. Herbert Pinedo, Netherlands (1988-1989), established ESMO national representatives in each European country to support recognition on a national basis.

Hernán Cortéz-Funes, Spain (1990-1991), initiated the ESMO examination in medical oncology to measure professional qualifications. In 1990 Franco Cavalli became Founding Editor of Annals of Oncology to keep medical oncologists on the cutting edge of new research developments. John Smyth (1992-1993) continued to pursue the recognition of medical oncology as a full specialty within the European Community. Contact with the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) was established, and ESMO was referred to the European Commission’s Advisory Committee on Medical Training. Smyth successfully lobbied in Strasbourg for the best solution ESMO could achieve at that time, which was to apply for recognition as an associate section of general internal medicine, and which was achieved in 1995. Jean-Pierre Armand, France (1994-1995), was invited to serve on the UEMS General Board and in 1995 medical oncology was accepted as an associate section of general internal medicine. Under his presidency the ESMO-MORA program for continuing medical education for medical oncologists was born. Heine Hansen, Denmark (1996-1997), laid the foundations for his work in Central and Eastern Europe and for publishing the Global Core Curriculum for Medical Oncology, a document outlining for the European Commission the need for specialized training and official recognition of our specialty.

Dieter Hossfeld, Germany (1998-1999), continued discussions with UEMS and worked closely with ACOE as the ESMO representative on this European educational accreditation body. The establishment of ESMO clinical practice guidelines under his presidency set clinical treatment standards for medical oncologists in need of official recognition within the multidisciplinary oncology team. Maurizio Tonato, Italy (2000-2001), launched the MOSES survey to document the status of medical oncology in Europe and underscore the need for a qualified and well-trained professional workforce. Heinz Ludwig, Austria (2002-2003), pioneered the ESMO Patient Seminars. The seminars enhanced the patient-physician relationship and raised patient awareness of the importance being treated by recognized professionals. Paris Kosmidis, Greece (2004-2005), sought to guarantee the future of young medical oncologists and intensified ESMO’s lobby for recogntion at both the national and EU level, meeting on several occassions with high-level representatives from the European Commission. Håkan Mellstedt, Sweden (2006-2007), strengthened the lobby for recognition on a national level and worked closely with EU presidencies, demonstrating the pivotal role of medical onocoligists in all aspects of cancer from prevention and research to treatment and aftercare. José Baselga, Spain (2008-2009), worked strategically and relentlessly on ESMO’s lobby in key EU Members States and with the European authorities.

In the final stretch before the finish line, special recognition goes to Adamos Adamou (MEP from Cyprus), Emilio Alba (President of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology), Paolo Casali (Italy) and Hans-Joachim Schmoll (Germany) for their support to overcome significant obstacles at both national and European levels, which could have postponed recognition indefinitely. Needless to say there are scores of other individuals who helped and supported ESMO in this process and we are deeply indebted and grateful to every single one of them.

Of course, all these people have worked with such commitment for the advancement of medical oncology for one simple reason: we ESMO members believe that such advancement will improve patient care and patient outcomes. The free movement of medical oncologists, now codified by the Directive, will be beneficial in addressing the growing cancer burden, allowing us to cope with potential labour shortages more promptly. Indeed the global shortage of healthcare workers and the need to reduce the inequity in their distribution, comparing developed and developing nations, has been a key theme of a series of major meetings organized by WHO and UN, leading up to the forthcoming UN General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases, in which I have been proud to lead ESMO’s contribution. We must understand that this will involve us in finding better ways to educate and incentivise this workforce and to give weight to prevention, not only playing to our existing strengths in disease management. And here I must make special thanks to István Lang, ESMO National Representative for Hungary, who organised a high level meeting with representatives of the Hungarian EU Presidency who have now pledged to gather support for the UN summit.

You too can show support for this work by signing the World Cancer Declaration and promoting the outcome statements for the UN Summit proposed by the NCD Alliance (PDF) and the UICC (PDF).



ESMO is a community of members; I am proud to have been chosen to lead it and still more proud to have followed those I have mentioned above. As a member of that community I encourage you to get involved, have your voice heard and show your support for the initiatives that we, as a Society, have taken on. ESMO and its members have invaluable knowledge, expertise and experience which can and must be brought to bear on the global issues relating to cancer control. By working together, using science to inform our decisions and considering the needs of all cancer patients, be they in developed or developing countries, we have the possibility to shape all our futures for the better.

Step up!

Kind regards

Read more about conferences such as the ASCO Multidisciplinary Course in Management of Cancer that took place in the Cape Town.

=

We had the great privilege of having Archbishop Desmond Tutu welcome the attendees at the recently held ASCO MCMC.