STAT+: At the world’s largest cancer research meeting, data briefly took a backseat to grief
Article excerpt
The American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting showcased hundreds of new cancer research findings, but oncologists made space for something less typical of the data-driven conference: collective mourning. The world's largest cancer research gathering, which draws thousands of researchers and clinicians, shifted focus to acknowledge the emotional toll of treating patients with terminal diagnoses. While groundbreaking studies dominated presentations, the decision to center grief alongside science signaled a growing recognition within oncology that the human dimensions of the work, the losses clinicians witness, deserve formal acknowledgment alongside clinical advances.
CHICAGO, At every annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the congregation of oncologists scrutinizes data on survival and mortality, among other measures of the care they provide. But comparatively few conversations focus on the grief and loss that is inherent in the work of oncologists. That changed a bit this year.
In his opening address, the organization’s outgoing president, Eric Small, spoke about his partner, University of California, San Francisco, oncologist Amy Lin, who died in December. She had metastatic clear cell ovarian cancer, a rare disease with few treatment options. Small also brought a different kind of specialist to ASCO’s main stage: David Kessler, an expert on grief and loss, who gave a talk about compassionate end-of-life care.
STAT sat down with Small to talk about the meeting, about Lin, and about how loss has changed his perspective on oncology. His “presidential theme” for the year was “The Science and Practice of Translation: Improving Cancer Outcomes Worldwide.”
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