scientific tracks

Track 1: Cancer Genetics & Genomics

Cancer genetics is the science of genes inherited from parents which can include the possibility of inheriting certain genetic mutations in one or more genes. Another type of gene mutations include mutations that are not inherited from family members but develop over time, due to changes in a certain gene that can cause the uncontrolled cells in that gene.

Cancer genomics is the study of the totality of DNA sequence and gene expression differences between tumour cells and normal host cells. The genome of cancer cells can be analyzed using advanced technologies such as next-generation DNA sequencing.

Somatic mutations

Acquired mutations

Big Data and Machine Learning

Immunogenomics

Related Associations and Societies

Cancer Prevention Foundation | Center of Molecular Immunology | Child Cancer Foundation | Musculoskeletal Tumor Society | Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer | International Society of Paediatric Oncology | International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer | International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research  | International Society for Free Radical Research | American Cancer Society | International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology

Track 2: Cancer Immunotherapy & Vaccines

Cancer Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts the body’s natural defenses to fight cancer. Different types of immunotherapy work in different ways. Some treatments help the immune system stop or slow the growth of cancer cells while others destroy cancer cells or stop the cancer from spreading to other parts of the body. Immunotherapy treatments can be used alone or combined with other cancer treatments. Vaccines help the body fight disease by training the immune system to recognize and destroy harmful substances. Prevention vaccines and Treatment vaccines are 2 types of cancer vaccines.

Monoclonal antibodies

Oncolytic virus therapy

T-cell therapy

Cancer vaccines

Related Associations and Societies

Federation of European Cancer Societies | Netherlands Cancer Institute | International Agency for Research on Cancer | Norwegian Cancer Society | Singapore Cancer SocietyAmerican Society of Clinical Oncology | International Agency for Research on Cancer | National Comprehensive Cancer Network | Kidney Cancer Association |Association for Cancer Surgery

Track 3: Cancer Metabolism

Cancer metabolism refers to the alterations in cellular metabolism pathways that are predominant in cancer cells compared with most normal tissue cells. Metabolic alterations in cancer cells are numerous which includes aerobic glycolysis, reduced oxidative phosphorylation and the increased generation of biosynthetic intermediates which are needed for cell growth and proliferation.

Cancer changes the cell metabolism by  the expression of oncogenes and tumor suppressors, expression/activity of glycolytic enzymes, interactions with microenvironment and the aerobic glycolysis. 

Warburg Effect

Glycolysis and Oxidative Phosphorylation

Genetic Mutations

Protein Signalling pathways

Related Associations and Societies

Netherlands Cancer Institute | International Agency for Research on Cancer | National Comprehensive Cancer Network | International Society for Preventive Oncology | International Society for Free Radical Research | American Cancer Society|International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology | International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research

Track 4: Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer is the most common invasive cancer in women and the second leading cause of death after lung cancer. The cancer occurs either in the lobules or the ducts of the breast. Lobules are the glands that produce milk, and ducts bring the milk from the glands to the nipple. Cancer can also occur in the fatty tissue or the fibrous connective tissue within your breast.

Metastatic breast cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer

Inflammatory breast cancer

Invasive lobular carcinoma

Related Associations and Societies

Cancer Prevention Foundation | Center of Molecular Immunology | Child Cancer Foundation | Musculoskeletal Tumor Society | Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer | International Society of Paediatric Oncology | International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer | International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research  | International Society for Free Radical Research | American Cancer Society | International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology

Track 5: Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the epidermis, the outermost skin layer, caused by unrepaired DNA damage that triggers mutations. These mutations lead the skin cells to multiply rapidly and form malignant tumors. The two main causes are the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays and the use of UV tanning machines.

Basal cell carcinoma

Squamous cell carcinoma

Melanoma

Merkel cell carcinoma

Related Associations and Societies

Federation of European Cancer Societies | Netherlands Cancer Institute | International Agency for Research on Cancer | Norwegian Cancer Society | Singapore Cancer SocietyAmerican Society of Clinical Oncology | International Agency for Research on Cancer | National Comprehensive Cancer Network | Kidney Cancer Association | Association for Cancer Surgery

Track 6: Brain Cancer

Brain Cancer is an overgrowth of cells in brain that forms masses called tumors. Common symptoms include headaches that are usually worse in the morning, nausea, vomiting, a lack of coordination, a lack of balance, difficulty walking, difficulty thinking, speech problems, vision problems, personality changes, abnormal eye movements etc. Cancer cells that develop from brain tissue are called primary brain tumors while tumors that spread from other body sites to the brain are metastatic or secondary brain tumors.

Primary brain cancer

Metastatic brain cancer

Gliomas

Meningiomas

Related Associations and Societies

Netherlands Cancer Institute | International Agency for Research on Cancer | National Comprehensive Cancer Network | International Society for Preventive Oncology | International Society for Free Radical Research | American Cancer Society|International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology | International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research

Track 7: Lung Cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type makes up about 80 to 85 percent of all cases. A rare subset of adenocarcinoma begins in the tiny air sacs in the lungs (alveoli) called adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS). Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) represents about 15 to 20 percent of lung cancers. Some cases of tumors contain both NSCLC and SCLC cells. The chance of successful or curative treatment is much higher when lung cancer is diagnosed and treated in the early stages, before it spreads.

Non-small cell lung cancer

Squamous cell carcinoma

Small cell lung cancer

Large cell (undifferentiated) carcinoma

Related Associations and Societies

Cancer Prevention Foundation | Center of Molecular Immunology | Child Cancer Foundation | Musculoskeletal Tumor Society | Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer | International Society of Paediatric Oncology | International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer | International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research  | International Society for Free Radical Research | American Cancer Society | International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology

Track 8: Prostate cancer

The prostate is a small walnut shaped gland in the pelvis of men located next to the bladder and can be examined by getting a digital rectal exam. Prostate cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the prostate gland. It is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths for men in the U.S. Growths in the prostate can be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer). Prostate cancer cells can spread by breaking away from a prostate tumor. They can travel through blood vessels or lymph nodes to reach other parts of the body. After spreading, cancer cells may attach to other tissues and grow to form new tumors, causing damage where they land. Prostate cancer has no symptoms in its early stages.

Prostate-Specific Antigen

Digital rectal exam

Testosterone

Chemotherapy

Related Associations and Societies

Federation of European Cancer Societies | Netherlands Cancer Institute | International Agency for Research on Cancer | Norwegian Cancer Society | Singapore Cancer SocietyAmerican Society of Clinical Oncology | International Agency for Research on Cancer | National Comprehensive Cancer Network | Kidney Cancer Association |Association for Cancer Surgery

Track 9: Oncology and Computational oncology

Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study of cancer. The three major areas of oncology are medical, surgical, and radiation. Computational oncology focuses on the molecular aspects of cancer and utilizes mathematics and computational models to organize tumor growth pathways, tumor biology, bioinformatics, tumor marker profiles, and to develop predictive models for treatments based on all of this information. Computational oncology utilizes computer models for population screening, individual cancer cell modeling, and to develop tumor marker analytics useful in the area of precision medicine.

Hematology

Pediatric Oncology

Hormone therapy

Related Associations and Societies

Netherlands Cancer Institute | International Agency for Research on Cancer | National Comprehensive Cancer Network | International Society for Preventive Oncology | International Society for Free Radical Research | American Cancer Society|International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology | International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research

Track 10: Epigenetics

Epigenetic control depends on small chemical changes to DNA or the proteins in chromosomes. The several types of epigenetic modification are DNA Modifications and Histone Modifications. The most common DNA modification is methylation. Methylation is the addition of a small chemical group - called a methyl group (-CH3) to specific bases, The bases are modified by enzymes called DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs). Compared to DNA methylation, histone modification is a relatively complicated process. The different types of histone modification are phosphorylation, methylation and acetylation.

Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) Inhibitors

DNA Methyltransferase (DNMT) Inhibitors

Epigenetic drugs

Related Associations and Societies

Cancer Prevention Foundation | Center of Molecular Immunology | Child Cancer Foundation | Musculoskeletal Tumor Society | Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer | International Society of Paediatric Oncology | International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer | International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research  | International Society for Free Radical Research | American Cancer Society | International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology

Track 11: Cancer Immunology

Cancer immunology is a branch of immunology that studies interactions between the immune system and cancer cells to identify biomarkers in cancer immunodiagnosis and to discover innovative cancer immunotherapies. T-cells and Natural Killer cells play an important role in cancer immunology. Tumor antigens include Tumor-specific transplantation antigens, Tumor-Associated transplantation antigens and oncofetal anigens.

Immuno-oncology

Tumor antigens

Immunosurveillance

Related Associations and Societies

Federation of European Cancer Societies | Netherlands Cancer Institute | International Agency for Research on Cancer | Norwegian Cancer Society | Singapore Cancer SocietyAmerican Society of Clinical Oncology | International Agency for Research on Cancer | National Comprehensive Cancer Network | Kidney Cancer Association |Association for Cancer Surgery

Track 12: Cell Signaling & Regulation

Disruption of intracellular signaling is leads to different diseases, including cancer. The Ras-activated MAP kinase (MAPK) module is part of many signaling pathways, and RAS is one of the genes commonly found mutated in human cancers. Src  gene plays an important role in tumor cell invasion, in particular through its interaction with FAK (focal adhesion kinase). The scaffold protein KSRI (kinase supressor of Ras) is involved in the positive regulation of the MAPK pathway.

Ras-activated MAP kinase

Src  gene

Focal Adhesion Kinase

Related Associations and Societies

Netherlands Cancer Institute | International Agency for Research on Cancer | National Comprehensive Cancer Network | International Society for Preventive Oncology | International Society for Free Radical Research | American Cancer Society|International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology | International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research

Track 13: Metastasis & Drug Resistance

Some cancer cells to break off from their tumor of origin and take root in a different tissue by a process known as Metastasis. It is the leading cause for death in cancer patients. Tumors formed from cells that have spread are called secondary tumors. The cancer may have spread to areas near the primary site, called regional metastasis, or to parts of the body that are farther away, called distant metastasis. Many types of cancers are initially susceptible to chemotherapy, over time they can develop resistance through mechanisms such as DNA mutations and metabolic changes that promote drug inhibition and degradation.

Epigenetics

Drug Efflux

DNA Damage Repair

Cell death Inhibition

Related Associations and Societies

Cancer Prevention Foundation | Center of Molecular Immunology | Child Cancer Foundation | Musculoskeletal Tumor Society | Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer | International Society of Paediatric Oncology | International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer | International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research  | International Society for Free Radical Research | American Cancer Society | International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology

Track 14: Stem Cells for Cancer

Stem cells have unique properties, such as migration toward cancer cells, secretion of bioactive factors, and immunosuppression, which promote tumor targeting and circumvent obstacles currently impeding gene therapy strategies. Preclinical stem cell-based strategies show great promise for use in targeted anti-cancer therapy applications. Stem cell transplants are procedures to restore blood-forming stem cells in people destroyed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy that are used to treat certain cancers.

Autologous

Syngeneic

Allogeneic

Related Associations and Societies

Federation of European Cancer Societies | Netherlands Cancer Institute | International Agency for Research on Cancer | Norwegian Cancer Society | Singapore Cancer SocietyAmerican Society of Clinical Oncology | International Agency for Research on Cancer | National Comprehensive Cancer Network | Kidney Cancer Association |Association for Cancer Surgery