ESMO and ASCO release a new version of the Joint Global Curriculum for Training in Medical Oncology

The European Society for Medical Oncology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ESMO and ASCO) have released the 2023 edition of their joint recommendations for the Curriculum for Training in Medical Oncology.

First published in 2004 and updated in 2010 and 2016, the ESMO/ASCO Recommendations for a Global Curriculum (GC) in Medical Oncology are a set of common standards in guiding the training of medical oncologists worldwide and to ensure that all patients – regardless of where they live – receive care from well-trained medical oncologists.

The new curriculum was presented in a dedicated session on Monday 23 October, during the ESMO Congress 2023 in Madrid, Spain.

“Since the latest edition in 2016, there has been an explosion of new therapies and new indications; advances in cellular therapy, refinement of molecular pathology and precision oncology, in imaging knowledge and practices,” noted Prof Tanja Cufer, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, Chair of the joint ESMO/ASCO working group responsible for the Curriculum.

In terms of content, multiple changes and innovations have been incorporated in the GC 2023, including:

Updated sections on educational programmes to reflect the techniques and teaching environment actually applied by users of the GC;

New chapter on cancer epidemiology and expanded one on prevention;

Expanded sections on therapeutic options to include the latest advancements;

Significantly revised section on pathology, molecular pathology, laboratory medicine, imaging, and principles of personalised cancer medicine, to acknowledge the substantial advances in each of these areas;

Combined and expanded section on the management and treatment of specific populations;

New section on emergencies in oncology;

New stand-alone section on patient education on top of the chapter on psychosocial aspects of cancer, acknowledging the important role patients play in the management of their disease;

Entirely new section on cancer research, with subsections on translational and clinical research, research ethics, and statistics;

New section on cancer control, covering the fundamentals of cancer care organisation, technology, digital health and cancer, team-based care, access to healthcare tailored to local needs and resource environments, equity principles, and global cancer control.