Radiotherapy and Immunotherapy Combination
Forum Chairs
Forum Description
Radiation therapy (RT) has been developed as a purely cytostatic/cytotoxic therapy against cancer. Abundant preclinical and clinical data suggests that at least part of the therapeutic effects of RT involve the activation of tumor-targeting immune responses, which can be actioned with immunotherapeutic agents toward superior efficacy. The meeting will review/critically discuss strategies to harness RT as an immunostimulant with the objective of developing novel, clinically relevant combinatororial regimens involving RT and immunotherapy.
RT is the most common form of therapy for cancer (>50% of patients receive RT as part of the clinical management of the disease) but is normally NOT employed according to dose and fractionation schedules that enable immunostimulation and hence unleash potential for combining RT with immunotherapy. Immunostimulation by RT is a novel concept with elevated potential to extend the indications for which immunotherapy is effective, generally in the context of acceptable toxicity.
Forum Summary
Immunotherapy has revolutionized the clinical management of patients affected by a variety of tumors. However, some forms of immunotherapy, like immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) benefit only a fraction of patients with cancer. Moreover, while other forms of immunotherapy like chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-expressing CAR T cells have been associated with impressive overall response rates, in a large fraction of patients such responses are short lived, owing to the emergence of adaptive resistance mechanisms. Thus, considerable efforts have been dedicated to identify clinically viable combinatorial partners for immunotherapy, aiming at increase response rate and/or duration. Radiation therapy (RT) has attracted attention as a combinatorial partner for immunotherapy, at least in part due to a well defined safety profile, widespread availability and at least some potential for immunostimulation. However, not all randomized, prospective clinical trials that have been conducted so far to interrogate the clinical validity of RT combined with immunotherapy have documented benefits as compared to RT or immunotherapy alone, pointing to a number of obstacles that need to be identified and overcome. Ultimately, well-designed RT-immunotherapy combinations have the potential to benefit a large number of patients in the context of preserved safety and superior clinical activity. Discussion emerging from this forum aims at fostering preclinical and clinical progress toward this very objective.
Venue & Travel Information
Travel Forms
Travel forms are due 30 days prior to the start of the forum. We cannot guarantee accommodation or airport transfer if this is not received in time.
AIRPORT TRANSFER INFORMATION
The Foundation will only provide pickups from Malpensa Airport (MXP) around the designated times below. Shuttle times may adjust slightly.
- Arrival day of the forum at approximately 9:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM local time
- Departures from the venue at approximately 6:00 AM, 10:00 AM, and 12:00 PM local time
The Foundation can only provide ground transportation to and from MXP on the arrival day and departure day. If you are arriving or departing outside those times you will need to arrange your own transportation to the venue.
HOTEL BOOKINGS & INFORMATION
The Foundation will only book hotel rooms for the duration of the forum. This is comprised of 3 nights (arrival day, forum day 1, and forum day 2). If you wish to arrive 1 day before the meeting due to jet lag or travel times, we will work with you on a case-by-case basis. For any extended stays before or after the meeting, you are responsible to book and pay for your own accommodation.
Travel Policy
Please familiarize yourself with our policies and procedures for travel. We truly appreciate you taking the time to participate in this forum. As you make your plans, please remember that we are a nonprofit organization dependent on donations and volunteers. We do NOT pay for upgrades, change fees, incurred costs resulting from a flight change, transportation to or from your local (home side) airport, meals or other incidentals.
- Travel Confirmation will be sent out within 1 week of the forum. This will include a hotel confirmation number, if there is one, and airport transfer details. We have to wait until we receive almost everyone’s travel to book airport transfer. Due to frequent airline changes, we wait until the week of the forum to send this out.
- Airport transfer is provided by Foundation staff, volunteers or arranged shuttle at specific times. If you opt to utilize Foundation airport transportation on your travel form, please be patient in receiving this information. We will send it to the week of the forum.
- Speaker agenda is not sent out prior to the forum. It will be provided upon arrival in the forum packet. We do not tell people when they are speaking because we expect everyone to attend all sessions. Sessions are all day Friday and Saturday.
- REMINDER: We do not reimburse for home side airport transfer or incidentals while traveling. We will not honor miscellaneous receipts sent for these expenses.
- Spouses are welcome to come with you at their own cost but are not allowed to attend the forum. Please no children.
What the Foundation Pays
Accommodations and meals are provided by the foundation during the forum. Airfare will be covered only if booked in accordance with our policy and only up to the amount in which you were approved for. The Foundation will also cover airport transportation on the forum side at the designated shuttle times. You can select not to utilize Foundation arranged transportation at your own expense when completing the travel form. Once your travel form is received your accommodations and airport transfer will be confirmed. Please let us know of any food allergies or other information we should be aware of on the travel forms.
- Note we do not cover upgrades, changes, late bookings, etc.
- Flights must be booked at least 30 days prior to the forum to confirm your accommodations and airport transfer.
- As a nonprofit we utilize volunteers and other methods to maximize our efforts (or our donor support) when making accommodations and arranging ground transportation. Ground transportation will be provided upon your arrival either by a foundation volunteer or arranged shuttle. You will be provided airport transportation information the week of the forum. We do not reimburse for home side airport transfer or incidentals while traveling.
Abstracts
Abstracts are due 30 days prior to the start of the meeting to allow enough time to prepare the meeting book.
The abstracts should be only one or two paragraphs outlining the theme of your presentation and should reflect the objective and spirit of the meeting (see above). Abstracts will be circulated about one week before the meeting. The meeting organizer will start requesting them a month before the meeting.
Forum Structure
The structure of the forum has been developed over years of experience.
- Participants have approximately 45 minutes, depending on the number of participants, for their presentation and discussion. The presentation is meant as a conversation start and should last about twenty minutes briefly covering background information and areas that are new or need further input. This should be structured in such a way as to lead to a lively discussion. Participants are encouraged to interrupt to ask questions or start discussions.
- A MAXIMUM of 2 slide equivalents per presentation is allowed (Power point slides should not contain more than one graph or gel per slide and no more than 5 bullet points to stress the points being made by the presenter.) We appreciate cooperation with the spirit of this guideline. Handouts are welcome but should be distributed before sessions.
- Everyone is expected to actively participate in every session and discussions.
- The time spent at the forum is relatively short, so please be familiar with papers received prior to arrival.
- It is very important that you commit to all sessions of the 2 days of the forum.
Forbeck Scholars Participation
Scholars are selected for each Forbeck Forum. These are outstanding junior clinical or post-doctoral fellows selected based on the quality and relevance of science.
- Scholars present for 30-45 minutes, depending on the number of participants
- The same presentation rules apply for scholars
- After the Forum you are selected to attend, you will attend three years of Scholar Retreats held in Lake Geneva, WI. If you attend a Fall Forum, you will attend the Spring Retreat. If you attend a Spring Forum you will attend a Fall Retreat.
- Scholars are selected by the Foundation Scientific Advisory Board and peer reviewers selected from past Forbeck Scholars.
General Program
The outline below illustrates a typical program schedule. You will receive a complete schedule, including speaking times, the Thursday the forum starts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some of our most Frequently Asked Questions. If you have something new to ask, please feel free to contact us.
- Travel Confirmation will be sent out within 1 week of the forum. This will include a hotel confirmation number, if there is one, and airport transfer details. We have to wait until we receive almost everyone’s travel to book airport transfer. Due to frequent airline changes, we wait until the week of the meeting to send this out.
- Airport transfer is provided by Foundation staff, volunteers or arranged shuttle at specific times. If you opt to utilize Foundation airport transportation on your travel form, please be patient in receiving this information. We will send it to the week of the forum.
- Speaker agenda is not sent out prior to the meeting. It will be provided upon arrival in the meeting packet. We do not tell people when they are speaking because we expect everyone to attend all sessions. Sessions are all day.
- Frequently airport transfer is provided by volunteers. Please be patient on receiving this information. Airport transfer will be sent out prior to arrival.
- REMINDER: We do not reimburse for home side airport transfer or incidentals while traveling. We will not honor miscellaneous receipts sent for these expenses.