From October 6-7, 2023, the 39th annual meeting of ACO-ASSO took place, focusing on “Metastasis Surgery at the Borderline,” traditionally held at Scalaria in St. Wolfgang on Lake Wolfgang.
Presentation and Recognition at the Conference
Our study group was pleased to be present, and we are excited to have contributed 8 out of 11 posters in the “Young Surgeons” category at the congress. In total, 50% of all submitted poster contributions (8 out of 16 posters) came from our study group.
Our Research Topics
We reported on the following exciting topics:
- Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) dynamics predicts early response to treatment in mGEC after 2 weeks of systemic treatment (Ass. Dr. Tatalovic)
- Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermal intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in peritoneal metastasic colorectal cancer: 10 years CRS and HIPEC at the Ordensklinikum Linz (Ass. Dr. Rezaie)
- Revolutionizing systemic treatment evaluation in GI cancer care: ctDNA as a unifiable biomarker to predict response to treatment after 2 weeks of chemotherapy at the same cut-off for GEC,PC, and CRC (Ass. Dr. Kirchweger)
- Achieving clinical applicability for ctDNA as biomarker for neoadjuvant CTX vs. surgery in localized pancreatic cancer (Ass. Dr. Kirchweger)
- Correlation of ctDNA with actual volumetric tumor burden and outcome in mCRC (Ass. Dr. Kirchweger)
- Ultrasound guided endoscopic gastroenterostomy with the help of LAMS – development into a standardized therapy (FA Dr. Punkenhofer)
- Metastases from other organs as rare histological finding in thyroid surgery. (Ass Dr.in Fritz)
- The prognostic impact of the recurrence distribution pattern following curative intended pancreatic cancer surgery (Ass. Dr. Kirchweger)
Awards and Honors
We are particularly proud of our association chairman, Ass. Dr. Patrick Kirchweger, who was awarded the renowned Georg Stumpf Scholarship for his LIQUIPANC project (Liquid Biopsy as Targeted Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer) during the congress.
We also celebrated one of our youngest association members, Dr. Stefan Tatalovic, who made his congress debut with his poster and immediately received the “Best Poster Award”.
Gratitude and Appreciation
We would like to take this opportunity to thank ACO-ASSO, its president Univ. Prof. Dr. Klaus Emmanuel, and the poster jury (Ass. Dr. Eva Johanna Wallner and OA Dr. Arvin Imamovic) for their appreciation.
Community and Collaboration
These honors validate our daily efforts, proving that we can make a difference together and continue to grow as a team.
Review and Outlook
With this event, our first year as a study group at the congress comes to an end. We look back on many successes and are curious about what 2024 holds for us.