The SSO, in collaboration with the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), presented a joint session at the World Cancer Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that highlighted how surgical and medical education is an important investment in building a sustainable cancer care workforce, yet it is one of the most neglected areas, especially in low-income countries. The SSO/ESSO Global Curriculum in Surgical Oncology and ASCO/ESMO Global Curriculum in Medical Oncology were introduced and presented in this session that attracted a diverse audience which included surgeons, physicians, health policy and advocacy professionals and officials from global health organizations.
The Q&A discussion following the presentations reinforced the extreme difficulty in training surgeons to practice safe cancer surgery in remote areas and confirmed the need to develop a tool to assist with the implementation of the Global Curriculum in Surgical Oncology. SSO International Committee Chair, Chandrakanth Are, MD, noted that attendees were appreciative of the curriculum and said, “This was a very successful session for SSO and demonstrated its emergence on the global stage as a leader for cancer surgery. Had the SSO not presented at the World Cancer Congress, this curriculum would not have reached the broader audience it was intended for. Within two years of the SSO becoming a member of the Union for International Cancer Control, the SSO was able to make a good impact and enhance its global visibility and image.”
Dr. Are envisions that SSO will continue to actively participate in future World Cancer Congresses and continue to establish itself as the global society that is leading the way to address disparities and inequities in surgical care for cancer patients. This continued collaboration would also result in the SSO and the Global Forum of Cancer Surgeons (GFCS) being recognized as the leaders in cancer surgery by global entities such as the World Health Organization and the Union for International Cancer Control. This objective is expected to be one of the agenda items that will be discussed at the third annual meeting of the GFCS that will take place at SSO 2019 in San Diego, California.
Another approach that the SSO has taken to address international educational disparities is through the programs that are offered to SSO members. The SSO International Committee is charged with the oversight of these programs and SSO International Committee member Rebecca Auer, MD, notes, “The SSO recognizes that cancer is a global problem and while infrastructure, resources and even biology often differ, many of the challenges we face are the same. There is an incredible opportunity to learn from each other by sharing ideas, data and creative solutions. Fostering these collaborations is allowing the SSO to create a global network and I expect that future efforts will include a coordinated plan to address the global cancer epidemic.”
For additional information on SSO’s global programs and initiatives, please visit our website. For more information about how your global society can join the GFCS, please email GFCS@surgonc.org.