CCF Presents First-Ever Poster Awards

The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (CCF) announced the inaugural 2021 Poster Abstract Awards at its virtual annual conference. The award winners were honored for making significant contributions in driving progress towards finding a cure for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) through their posters. CCF is pleased to award the Poster Awards to Meredith Mason, Pashtoon Kasi, and Laurence Diggs.

The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (CCF) is the leading global resource for cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer of the bile duct. The Annual Conference continues to be the premier source for the presentation of cutting-edge research, innovative therapies, and patient education in the field of cholangiocarcinoma and is always a highlight for all that attend. More than 700 Patients & Caregivers, 300 Clinicians and Researchers, and 400 Industry representatives and sponsors hailing from 49 states and 42 countries participated in the 2020 Annual Conference.

"Meredith, Pashtoon and Laurence have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the cholangiocarcinoma community.We are so grateful to them for their dedication to the study of this rare and devastating disease. It is my honor and a real pleasure to present the 2021 Poster Awards to these outstanding individuals, " said Stacie Lindsey, CEO and Founder.

The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (CCF) offers an opportunity for all professionals in industry and medical fields consistent with the mission of CCF "to find a cure and improve the quality of life for those affected by cholangiocarcinoma" to present a poster each year at the Annual Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation Conference. Posters are intended to provide authors and conference participants with the opportunity to connect with one another and build upon the foundation of knowledge exchange and collaboration.

This year CCF had a record high of 53 abstracts submitted. There were 48 selected to present posters and 16 selected for oral poster presentations. All posters were reviewed by the Abstract Review Committee Co-Chaired by R. Kate (Katie) Kelley, MD-UCSF and Donald L. Coppock, PhD-Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs.

Three posters were selected for recognition awards:

1. The first place poster was awarded to Meredith Mason, MD Anderson Cancer Center for her abstract titled, "Time to rethink upfront surgery for resectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma? Implications from the neoadjuvant experience."
2. The second place poster was awarded to Pashtoon Kasi, University of Iowa for his abstract titled, "Longitudinal monitoring of actionable somatic alterations in advanced cholangiocarcinoma from circulating tumor DNA profiling."
3. The Third place poster was awarded to Laurence Diggs, National Cancer Institute for his abstract titled, "Modulating cholangiocarcinoma's tumor microenvironment enhances response to immune checkpoint blockade."