On the Road Again

J Clin Pathways. 2022;8(3):10.

Almost exactly two years after the conference world shut down then reconfigured to virtual models, in-person events are back on! Editors for the Journal of Clinical Pathways (JCP) got the chance to hit the road twice in March by attending the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) 48th Annual Meeting & Cancer Business Summit March 2-4 in Washington, DC and Community Oncology Alliance (COA) 2022 Community Oncology Conference March 17-18 in Kissimmee, FL.

The biggest takeaway from both conferences wasn’t new research (although there was plenty) or great case studies presented in engaging sessions, instead the thing that left the biggest impressions on the JCP staff was simply how happy everyone was to just see each other. For much of the journal’s staff and many of the attendees, these events offered the first chance to meet with colleagues who have only interacted virtually. While Zoom is a great tool, nothing compares with a quick conversation over a cup of coffee during a networking session. 

We wrap up some of the highlights of COA 2022 in this month’s issue of JCP. We also conducted a few interviews at the conference that are available online. ACCC offered many opportunities to start working on new articles for the journal. Look for those in the next few issues of JCP. 

Our next trip will be to the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago. As you’re no doubt aware, this is a huge show that often sets the tone for our coverage throughout the year. Since the ASCO meeting has been virtual the past two years, we’re looking forward to walking through rows of posters, attending in-person sessions, and all the chance encounters that often lead to great articles or interviews. 

Our own event, Oncology Clinical Pathways Congress (OCPC), also is scheduled to be an in-person event for the first time since 2019—running October 14-16 in Boston, MA. More details will come as we get closer, but I and the entire JCP staff welcome the chance to meet many of you at OCPC. 

In this month’s issue, Rouslan Kotchetkov and colleagues take and in-depth look at the efficacy of bendamustine plus rituximab (B-R) for patients with hymphoma. B-R was established as a preferred first-line therapy for indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma; however, only few reports on its performance on patients with advanced disease and comorbidities are available to-date. The authors assessed the pattern of B-R administration, efficacy and safety in non-selected adult patients in the real-world setting.

Thanks for taking a look and let us know if you’ll be at ASCO. We’d love to meet up and hear about what you’ve been up to the past few years.