Program summary:
- Psycho-Oncological Support as a Joint Effort for Cancer Patients; Anja Mehnert (Germany) and Annette Hasenburg (Germany)
- Cooperation of ESGO and IPOS; Vesna Kesic (Serbia) and Anja Mehnert (Germany)
- Psychological distress associated with breast and ovarian cancer risk genetic testing and medical management; Anne Bredart (France)
- Cancer as a disease that involves all family members; Snežana Mijalkovic (Serbia)
- Mental disorders in patients with gynaecological cancers; Anja Mehnert (Germany)
- Survivorship: How can we support our patients?; Annette Hasenburg (Germany)
In October 2015, the European Society of Gynecological Oncology (ESGO) hosted a joint symposium with the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) in Nice, France, titled “Psycho-Oncological Support as a Joint Effort for Cancer Patients.” The symposium was conceptualized by Maggie Watson, Vesna Kedic, Annette Hasenburg and Anja Mehnert. The symposium was chaired by Annette Hasenburg and Anja Mehnert and aimed to strengthen the co-operation between ESGO and IPOS and to intensify joint efforts in psycho-oncological patient care.
At the beginning of the meeting, this joint effort took the shape of three web-based education programs for ESGO members, presented by Vesna Kesic and Anja Mehnert. Subsequently, Anne Bredart presented findings on psychological distress related to a genetic risk for breast and ovarian cancer. Anja Mehnert reported new prevalence estimates for mental disorders among patients with gynecological tumors and Annette Hasenburg outlined current trends in survivorship research.
The symposium was well-received by the audience. The joint work will be continued by the task force constituted by IPOS as well as ESGO members and led by Annette Hasenburg. A call for participation in this task force was voiced to both societies.
A joint event is planned to take place at the 2016 IPOS congress in Dublin.
