Dear friends and colleagues,

In recent years, we are witnessing the fast developments in the field of immunooncology that is fundamentally changing the cancer treatment approaches. Evolving knowledge of the immune system has provided a better understanding of its role in tumor development and progression and led to the recognition of immune checkpoint pathways, involved in regulation of T-cell activity and evasion of immune response to tumors.

Furthermore, it opened a whole new chapter in melanoma treatment, with the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors and development of several other therapeutic strategies aiming to boost host immune response. These approaches in recent clinical studies led to significant and durable treatment responses, even in treatment resistant cancers, like metastatic melanoma.

This is why immunooncology was chosen to be the main topic of the regional meeting “Current trends in immunooncology of melanoma” organized by Melanoma Group of the Serbian Medical Society and Serbian Association of Medical Oncology with international participation.

We sincerely wish that this meeting will be a great opportunity for the scientific exchange of ideas in this field in regional and international environment. Belgrade is well known for its hospitality and we hope that you, too, will share this opinion after you have experienced it. We will certainly do our best to meet your expectations.

Looking forward to meeting you in Belgrade in May,

Best regards,

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Sinisa Radulovic MD, PhD Lidija Kandolf Sekulovic MD, PhD
Professor of Clinical Pharmacology Professor of Dermatology
Institute of Oncology and Radiology of Serbia Military Medical Academy
President, Serbian Society of Medical Oncology Serbian Melanoma Group secretary

Poštovane kolege i prijatelji,

Poslednjih godina svedoci smo brzog razvoja na polju imunoonkologije, koji iz osnova menja pristup lečenju kancera. Dobijena saznanja o imunskom sistemu dovela su do boljeg razumevanja njegove uloge u razvoju i progresiji tumora i do otkrića kontrolnih tačaka imunskog odgovora, koje su odgovorne za regulaciju T-ćelijske aktivnosti i učestvuju u procesima izbegavanja imunskog odgovora tumora.

Ova saznanja otvorila su novo poglavlje i u lečenju melanoma, razvojem inhibitora kontrolnih tačaka imunskog odgovora i brojnih terapijskih strategija u cilju stimulacije imunskog odgovora na tumor. Ovi su pristupi, prema rezultatima poslednjih kliničkih studija, doveli do značajnih i dugotrajnih terapijskih odgovora, čak i kod metastatskih tumora rezistentnih na terapiju, kakav je metastatski melanom.

Zbog toga je imunoonkologija glavna tema simpozijuma “Savremeni trendovi u imunoonkologiji melanoma” u organizaciji Odbora za melanom Srpskog lekarskog društva i Udruženja medikalnih onkologa Srbije sa međunarodnim učešćem.  Nadamo se da će ovaj sastanak biti prilika za razmenu ideja u ovoj oblasti na regionalnom i međunarodnom nivou.

Radujemo se susretu u Beogradu u maju,

S poštovanjem,

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Prof. Siniša Radulović Prof. Lidija Kandolf Sekulović
Institut za onkologiju i radiologiju Srbije Vojnomedicinska akademija
Predsednik Udruženja medikalnih onkologa Srbije Sekretar Odbora za melanom SLD