[ESMO 2024] Professor An Myeongju Receives 'Korea's First' ESMO Women in Oncology Award

Professor An Myeongju, Department of Hematology and Oncology, Samsung Seoul Hospital
Recognized for Leading Gender Disparity Overcoming and Lung Cancer Treatment Innovation
Focusing on 'Researcher-Led Clinical Trials' to Develop Treatments for Rare Diseases

Professor An Myung-joo of the Department of Hematology and Oncology at Samsung Medical Center became the first Korean female researcher to receive the 'European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Women in Oncology Award.' She gained global recognition for overcoming gender inequality as a female researcher and leading various studies in the field of lung cancer, driving innovation in cancer treatment.

Professor An Myeongju of the Department of Hematology and Oncology at Samsung Seoul Hospital is giving the award lecture for the 'ESMO Women in Oncology Award' at the opening ceremony of the 2024 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) held on the 13th (local time) in Barcelona, Spain.
[Photo by Lee Chunhee]

At the opening ceremony of ESMO 2024 held on the 13th (local time) in Barcelona, Spain, ESMO awarded Professor An the Women in Oncology Award. ESMO stated about Professor An, "Her main research focus is the development of predictive and prognostic markers for personalized lung cancer treatment," and added, "We recognize the inspiration she provides to the oncology community and her support for women, thus awarding her the Women in Oncology Award." The ESMO Women in Oncology Award was established in 2015. In Asia, the award was previously given to Professor Sumitra Tongprasert of Bangkok Chiang Mai Hospital, Thailand in 2016, and Professor Rebecca Dent of Singapore in 2021, but this is the first time a Korean has received the award.

Professor An is regarded as a world-renowned scholar in the field of lung cancer, contributing to the development of innovative new drugs such as Tagrisso (AstraZeneca (AZ)) and Lekraza (Yuhan Corporation), and beyond that, conducting investigator-initiated clinical trials to explore treatments for rare diseases that pharmaceutical companies have relatively neglected.

In her award commemorative lecture titled "Bridging the Gap in Lung Cancer Research and Gender Equality," Professor An cited diligence, mentorship, and collaboration as the factors behind her success as a woman. She pointed out, "Korea has long been a traditional patriarchal society with a hierarchical culture, which is even more pronounced in professional and academic fields," likening it to a 100-meter race where men start 50 meters ahead. However, studying under excellent female hematology-oncology scholars such as Professor Kim In-soon, Emeritus Professor at Hanyang University College of Medicine, and Professor Kim Sang-hee, Emeritus Professor at Seoul Asan Medical Center, she explained that she overcame gender disparities through diligence, hard work, and collaboration.

Professor An Myeongju of the Department of Hematology and Oncology at Samsung Seoul Hospital received the 'ESMO Women in Oncology Award' at the opening ceremony of the 2024 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) held in Barcelona, Spain, on the 13th (local time).
[Photo by Lee Chunhee]

Professor An further explained that she focuses on independent investigator-initiated clinical trials in her research. Regarding its significance, she emphasized, "It allows conducting more innovative or beneficial research regardless of corporate profit motives and enables exploration of rare diseases that pharmaceutical companies do not pursue," adding, "Ultimately, it can improve public health."

In fact, when introducing her major research in the field of lung cancer treatment, Professor An took special pride in the achievements made through investigator-initiated clinical trials. The mutations cancer cells cause to evade our immune system are very diverse. From the perspective of anticancer drug developers, naturally, they focus on developing treatments targeting mutations affecting many patients, while relatively neglecting mutations that affect only a very small number of patients.

Professor An conducted an investigator-initiated clinical trial using Tagrisso, currently the standard treatment for lung cancer with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations, and demonstrated its effectiveness even for rare sub-mutations of EGFR mutations for which Tagrisso’s efficacy had not been previously proven. She said, "This was the first prospective study, and based on this, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) in the United States recommended Tagrisso as the first-line treatment for these patients," adding, "I am very proud of this achievement."

Finally, Professor An concluded her lecture by saying, "None of these achievements would have been possible without the valuable cooperation and support of my colleagues," and "As we face patients daily and see many unmet medical needs, we researchers must maintain a hungry attitude to bridge the gaps in lung cancer treatment and strive to provide better therapies."