Showcase your research at ACT 2024!

February 16-19, 2024

Call for Abstracts Reference Guide
Abstract Submission: Monday, August 21, 2023- Monday, November 6, 2023, at 11:59 pm
(EST)

The SSO Advanced Cancer Therapies Committee invites you to submit your abstracts for the SSO Advanced
Cancer Therapies, taking place February 16 – 19, 2024 at the Condado Plaza Hilton, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The ACT Committee encourages both SSO members/non-members, surgeons, and medical providers involved in
cancer care to submit their scientific work and make this the best meeting yet.

Advanced Cancer Therapies will serve as a comprehensive forum to promote research development and
application of advanced cancer therapies. This event promotes education and the exchange of information among
professionals focusing on advanced cancer therapies.

Please note that abstract submission timeframe will not be extended beyond the date and time listed above. Once the
system is locked down, any incomplete submissions will be removed from the review process. ***Review all guidelines
before submitting. Failure to follow these guidelines, can result in an abstract being removed.

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE ACT 2024 ABSTRACT SUBMISSION SITE

KEY DATES

November 6, 2023, 11:59 Abstract Submission Deadline- at this time the system will be
PM (EST) locked down. Once the system is locked down abstracts cannot
be edited or submitted.
December 2023 Abstract Notifications Sent to Presenter/Submitter
December 2023 Abstract Withdrawal Deadline
January 2024 Abstracts Added to Online Schedule
February 16-19, 2024 ACT 2024 Meeting: San Juan

ACT 2024 Abstract Categories include:

x Peritoneal Metastases
x HPB
x Sarcoma
x Melanoma
x Gynecologic Oncology

As you prepare your abstract submission, please make note of the following details:

x Abstracts submitted for presentation at SSO 2024 will be allowed to be presented at ACT 2024. You
will not be penalized for submitting to and/or presenting at both events and are encouraged to do so!
x No submission extensions will be granted.
x Incomplete abstracts will not go through the review process and will be eliminated.
 x Abstracts may ONLY be submitted online.
x All reviewers, session planners, and invited faculty will be required to disclose all financial relationships
through the online system, helping to ensure high-quality, unbiased presentations and compliance with
CME regulations. In addition, all authors must disclose all financial relationships during the submission
process before their abstract will be considered and reviewed.
x Science only! Abstracts may NOT be about products or lines of business.
x SSO will accept abstract submissions from authors and/or co-authors who are employees of
pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or medical technology companies.

Fees and Registration

x There is a $60.00 submission fee for each abstract submitted. The submission fee must be paid via
credit card when submitting your abstract. If the fee is not paid, the abstract will be marked as
“incomplete.”
x There is no additional charge for revising a submitted abstract.
x Abstract fees will not be refunded if an abstract is withdrawn.
x There are no restrictions on the number of abstracts you may submit.
x Submission of an abstract does not constitute registration for the meeting. Presenters and authors of
accepted abstracts attending the meeting are expected to register and pay the meeting registration fee.
All abstract presentations will be in-person only. Registration and housing information will be available on
the website in October.

Presentation Details:
x There is a limit of 20 co-authors for each abstract.
x There will be ePoster stations in the exhibit hall.
x The top scored poster abstracts, within the categories listed below, will receive an oral poster
presentation.
x Your acceptance letter will notify the author if the poster was accepted as ePoster only, or ePoster with
presentation.
x Types of abstracts accepted: Oral Presentations, ePoster Presentations and ePoster only.
x Please make sure you have your complete abstract and author information.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
As you prepare your abstract submission to the Meeting, please make note of the following requirements and
instructions.

x Character Limit: There is a limit of 2,300 characters for the text of your abstract submission. This
includes the title and abstract body. Spaces are not counted towards the character count. If you copy and
paste the title and/or body from your word processor, most special characters will transfer. You can
replace special characters and/or insert formatting tags using the character palette.
x Title: The title should be entered in mixed case (upper and lower-case letters). DO NOT enter the title in
all capital or all lower-case letters. Do not use formatting tags. The title will be formatted automatically by
the system at the time of print production. Abbreviations must not be used in the title.
Use generic product names in the title. Titles with product/brand names will disqualify the abstract.
x Abstract Body: Include the following:
o INTRODUCTION: The introduction should be 2 or 3 brief sentences describing the objectives of
the study.
o METHODS: A description of the methods used to conduct the study must be included (i.e.,
retrospective chart review, prospective trial). Detailed descriptions of laboratory techniques
should not be included (i.e., measurements were made of calcium, phosphate and creatinine). Do
not mention the institution where the work was performed in the body or title of the abstract.
o RESULTS: The results should occupy one-half to two-thirds of the abstract, and specific data
necessary to evaluate the abstract should be included. If there is concern that additional data
would enhance the abstract, then please strongly consider including it. Statements such as "data
will be discussed at the presentation" are grounds for disqualification.
o CONCLUSIONS: The conclusion should be no more than 2 or 3 sentences regarding the
significance of the results in the context of the original objectives.
x Learning Objective: Your learning objective should be a clear, concise statement of what participants
should be able to do as a result of the CME activity.
 x Table or Image: You may add one table OR one image to your Oral or ePoster abstract (not both).
Characters will not be deducted from the total character count for tables and images. Tables and Images
can be easily edited or deleted any time before the submission deadline.
x Presentation Type: You may select one of the following options when submitting your abstract: Accept for
Either Oral or Poster; Oral Presentation Only; Poster Only.
x Category: It is extremely important that you properly categorize your abstract so that it will go to the
appropriate review group.
x Authors: Please enter all authors and their locations (including yourself) in the order they should appear
in the heading of the abstract. All authors must be listed with full first name, middle initial, last name and
degree. Your name is defaulted as the presenter and first author. Please adjust if this is incorrect. Full
instructions are listed on the submission site.
x Disclosure, Release and IRB Approvals: The SSO requires each lead author to provide a Presenter
Release, Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval (if applicable), and disclosure of financial
relationships. All authors and presenters must disclose -all financial relationships with any ineligible
companies that have occurred within the past 24 months and acknowledge any support from ineligible
companies for studies relating to the abstract. Please refer to the Conflict of Interest Policy listed on Page
6 below. All authors and co-authors must agree with the abstract content to be considered for
presentation. Please refer to specific requirements in the submission process.
x Abstract Revisions: You can edit your abstract on the submission website before the deadline. Once the
submission deadline has passed, typos or spelling corrections are the only permitted changes to the
abstract text.

ACPMP Travel Awards

Through the generosity of ACPMP (Appendix Cancer/Pseudomyxoma Peritonei Research Foundation), SSO is
offering travel awards of $1,000 to the highest scoring abstracts in the content/research areas of appendix
cancer, pseudomyxoma peritonei, peritoneal surface malignancies/peritoneal carcinomatosis, and/or HIPEC.
Abstracts will be reviewed (blinded) by the ACT Program Committee and recipients will be selected based on
both the quality of the abstract and the relevance to the content area. Please ensure to check the corresponding
question in your submission to be considered for this travel award opportunity. Award winners must register for
the meeting and attend in-person. This award covers any travel costs for attending. Award winners will be notified
by January.

ABSTRACT SELECTION PROCESS & PRESENTATIONS

All abstracts are subject to a blind peer-review by members of the Advanced Cancer Therapies Committee. The
committee makes all final decisions relative to the abstract selection and scheduling.

All reviewers, session planners and invited faculty will be required to disclose all financial relationships through
the online system, helping to ensure high-quality, unbiased presentations and compliance with CME regulations.
In addition, all authors must disclose all financial relationships during the submission process before their
abstract will be considered and graded.

ABSTRACT NOTIFICATIONS
Each abstract submitter will receive an email acknowledging receipt of the abstract after initiating a submission
and after completing a submission. If the abstract is selected for inclusion during ACT 2024, the presenting
author listed will receive an invitation to participate from the Program Committee by December 2023. If the
abstract is not selected, the submitting author will receive a communication regarding its decision by December
2023.

If a first author/presenter chooses to withdraw his or her abstract for any reason, a request must be submitted
by December 2023. Any abstract withdrawal requests received after this date will be considered on a case-by-
case basis and cannot be assured removal from the Abstract edition of the Annals of Surgical Oncology or meeting
materials.

ACCEPTED ABSTRACTS & SOCIETY OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY JOURNALS-

SSO leadership believes that research presented at SSO’s annual meeting should be published in the Annals of
Surgical Oncology (ASO) and the Surgical Oncology Insight (SOI), the official journals of the SSO. The following
guidance provides submission information; detailed information will be provided to accepted abstract presenters.
Presenters of abstracts accepted for Advanced Cancer Therapies are encouraged to submit their manuscripts to
the ASO and SOI journals. Publication of all manuscripts in the journal is subject to the ASO and SOI peer review
process.

Detailed information will be provided after the acceptances are sent out and posted to the ACT 2024 website.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY

As required by the ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, all
planners, reviewers, presenters, instructors, moderators, authors, and other individuals in a position to control or
influence the content of an activity must disclose ALL financial relationships with any ineligible company that
have occurred within the past 24 months. Ineligible companies are those that cannot be accredited in the
ACCME System and whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing
healthcare products used by or on patients.

Per ACCME, there is no minimum financial threshold for financial relationships; individuals must disclose all
financial relationships, regardless of the amount, with ineligible companies. Individuals must disclose regardless
of their view of the relevance of the relationship to education.

As the accredited provider, SSO is responsible for identifying relevant financial relationships between individuals
in control of educational content and ineligible companies and managing these to ensure they do not introduce
commercial bias into the education. Financial relationships of any dollar amount are defined as relevant if the
educational content is related to the business lines or products of the ineligible company.

All identified conflicts of interest must be resolved, and the educational content vetted for fair balance, scientific
objectivity, and appropriateness of patient care recommendations. Learners must be informed that all relevant
financial relationships have been mitigated prior to engaging in accredited education. Learners must also be
informed when off label; experimental/investigational uses of drugs or devices are discussed in an educational
activity or included in related materials.

SSO requires all learners receive disclosure information before engaging in accredited education. Disclosure to
learners must include:
x The first and last name of individual with the financial relationship.
x The names of the ineligible companies with which they have relationships.
x The nature of the relationships.
x A statement that all relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.

Disclosure to learners must not include ineligible companies’ corporate or product logos, trade names, or
product group messages.
SSO must inform learners about planners, faculty, and others in control of content (either individually or as a
group) with no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Companies that are ineligible to be accredited in the ACCME System (ineligible companies) are those whose
primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on
patients. ACCME does not consider providers of clinical service directly to patients to be ineligible.

FURTHER QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions regarding the Call for Abstracts or this event, please call the SSO Education
department during business hours at 847-427-1400, or email [email protected].

Technical questions or problems with the system should be directed to the CadmiumCD Support Team. They can
be reached by clicking the "Technical Support" link at the top right-hand corner of the submission screen or by
emailing [email protected]. Please be sure your message contains your name, phone, email and an
explanation of the problem. Tech Support is available from Monday at 9:00 am through 9:00 pm Friday, EST.