Presidents Message
Welcome to the website of BASO ~ The Association for Cancer Surgery.
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The
Association has seen enormous changes in the past 2 years and it is
an honour to take over the role of President that has been
undertaken so capably by Andrew Bailden. The
vision for the Association is to support surgical oncology from
every discipline and the Scientific Meeting in November amply
demonstrated this commitment. The thanks for
this must be given to Riccardo Audisio who has now been appointed
as Vice-President of ACS and I look forward to working with him in
building the future with him over the next 2 years. The
separation from ABS has allowed ACS to make a clear statement about
its role and to build on the work to date. This
year has seen the establishment of a new group within ACS, the
Surgical Oncology Trainees Association (SOTA).
As the surgical societies have become increasingly specialised,
there is a gap that the trainees have identified, a
cross-disciplinary forum where trainees can gain knowledge about
the basics of Oncology and cover the aspects of non-surgical
oncology care which are not covered in site specialised
training.
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We hope
that this together with support for oncology based presentations at
their Specialist Associations will enhance the vision of the
surgeon as the key player in cancer care. The
annual Scientific meeting remains the focal point of the work of
the Association providing a key forum for the communication of
research in the basic science and clinical care relevant to care of
the patient with cancer. The plans are well
advanced for this year's Scientific meeting which is safely in the
hands of Charlie Chan.
We will
continue to seek closer links with the site specialist associations
to support Oncology research and teaching and to develop the
College Cancer Services Committee which I will have the privilege
to chair. The committee is supported By Prof.
Mike Richards who has been generous in his recognition for the role
of surgery in cancer care. He has been
unstinting in his attendance and has taken the views of the
surgical community back to the Department of Health to inform
policy development. The committee provides the
surgical community with the opportunity to present a unified voice
for the care of cancer patients and can ensure that, as the major
contributors of care, our views are fairly represented.
The next 2
years will be an important period of development for the
Association. The recognition of the trainees of
the need for a forum for Surgical Oncology across all areas of site
specialisation bodes well for the future. It is
essential we continue to communicate this vision, ACS's vision, to
the consultants body as a whole so cancer surgery has the voice it
needs to secure the resources for research and patient
care.
Mr Mike Hallissey
BASO ~ ACS President