The Scientific Conference of BASO ~ the Association for Cancer Surgery, took place 7-8 November 2011 at the Royal College of Surgeons of England 

Prominent lecturers from around the world and a programme of topics related to different cancer sites, all relevant to surgical oncology, attracted over 260 delegates from the UK and abroad to BASO ~ ACS’s annual conference.

Milan’s Professor Umberto Veronesi proffered an overview of his vision of breast cancer surgery, form his early scientific achievements in the 70s to the future of this specialty, focusing on how best to deliver effective treatment with the lowest number of unnecessary side-effects.

The state of art regarding Thromboprophylaxis in Cancer Surgery was summarised by Ajay Kakkar who also disclosed the latest findings of his own research.

Cancer Commissioning was summarised and discussed by Garth Cruickshank, and Jerome Pereira outlined educational issues with a talk on Masters in Surgery Postgraduate Education for Cancer Surgeons.

The first combined meeting of the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and ENT UK was held on 6 September at the Royal College of Surgeons of England

A combined meeting between maxillofacial surgery and ENT surgery was long overdue given the significant overlap between the two specialties.

The event’s keynote speaker, Professor Maura Gillison, from Ohio State University, discussed “the clinical implications of a diagnosis of HPV16 positive head and neck cancer”.  It has become apparent that this disease is a new variant of squamous cancer, affecting a younger age group, due to a different aetiology and risk behaviour and responding to treatment in a different way. Professor Gillison gave a highly informed lecture, clarifying many aspects of this emerging disease and raising highly pertinent questions as to how it should be managed, both from a public health and treatment point of view.