Annual Meeting Call for Abstracts Home › Meetings › AnnualMeetings › CallForAbstracts

Annual Meeting Call for Abstracts
The theme of the 2010 Annual Meeting is “Gathering Evidence, Proving Value” and will reflect the realities of practicing medicine in 2010 and the urgent needs of the specialty to show its efficacy and prove its worth.

Important Dates:

  • January 14, 2010 – Abstract online submission site opens.
  • April 8, 2010 – Abstract online submission site closes.
  • June 9, 2010 – Abstract disposition notifications sent out.
  • August 18, 2010 – Late-breaking abstract online submission site opens.
  • September 16, 2010 – Late-breaking abstract online submission site closes.

    Submit your 2010 Annual Meeting abstract now.

ASTRO Abstract Submission Guidelines:

  1. The submitting and presenting author of an abstract must not have a financial interest (ACCME SCS 2.1) with the scientific content in the abstract. If a conflict of interest exists, the abstract must be submitted and presented by a co-author with no relevant financial relationship or any commercial interest.
  2. An individual may submit only one abstract in which he or she is indicated as presenter or first author. Sponsorship is not required.
  3. An abstract may only be submitted to the ASTRO Annual Meeting once. Duplicate abstracts (reporting the same data) that are submitted under a different author will not be considered.
  4. Abstracts must be submitted online through the abstract submission program. No fax copies, disk or e-mail submissions will be accepted.
  5. Abstracts must be received by April 8, 2010, 11:59 p.m. Eastern time. Abstracts received after the deadline will not be eligible.
  6. Abstracts should contain new material that will not have been presented or published prior to the ASTRO Annual Meeting, October 31, 2010. If an abstract reporting the same data has been submitted for consideration at another meeting or for publication and you have not received notification of its acceptance at the time of your abstract submission, you will be required to disclose the information during the abstract submission process. (Restriction does not apply to abstracts submitted or presented at other ASTRO sponsored or co-sponsored meetings.)
  7. Abstract presenters with papers accepted for presentation at another major medical meeting or accepted for publication after April 8, 2010, are required to notify ASTRO of the change in status by e-mail to Janet Mitchell by July 1, 2010. Selection for the plenary session will be given preferentially to original work that has not been presented elsewhere.
  8. Once an abstract has been selected for presentation, it may not be revised prior to publication in the proceedings. Typographical errors that do not affect the data presented or accidental omissions of co-authors are not reasons for changes to abstracts after selection. Please proof your abstracts carefully for formatting, spelling and grammar. Double check all sections of the abstract, i.e., title, authors, disclosures and abstract body. Material may be updated in your presentation and manuscript.
  9. The maximum character limit that includes the title and body of the abstract is 2,500. Spaces are not counted.
  10. An abstract may not contain any illustrations, images, graphs or tables. The abstract must be formatted in only text for publication in the meeting proceedings. Any abstract containing an image, graph or table will not be accepted for peer review. If selected, presenters may expand their abstract to include tables, graphs and images in oral/poster presentation and the Virtual Poster Library.
  11. A maximum of 10 author names may be listed on each abstract. There are no exceptions.
  12. Abstract submissions should be submitted in the most appropriate category. A list of submission categories is available in the online submission module. Please note that the ASTRO Program Chair has the authority to re-categorize any abstract.
  13. Presenters should use product-based and generic names in lieu of proprietary names in both the title and in the body of the abstract.
  14. Abstracts may be edited up to the deadline date of April 8, 2010. Abstracts will be considered ineligible for review until they are complete. Draft abstracts will not be considered.
  15. Under a special arrangement between ASTRO and RSNA, you may submit an abstract on the same topic to both societies’ meetings. In the event your abstract is not selected by ASTRO, your submission will be forwarded to RSNA; however, please confirm receipt of your abstract with RSNA prior to RSNA’s abstract deadline.
  16. You will be notified of the disposition of your abstract by June 9, 2010. If you wish to withdraw your abstract, you must submit your request in writing by June 15, 2010, to Janet Mitchell. After June15 your abstract will be published in the 2010 Annual Meeting Proceedings.
  17. All presenters are required to register and attend the meeting.

*Major medical meetings include annual meetings of national and international societies with attendance of more than 3,000 participants.

Presentation Types

Oral or poster
Abstract will be considered for oral, poster discussion or poster viewing.

Poster only
Abstract will be considered for poster discussion or poster viewing.

Presentation Categories

Plenary session abstract presentation
Abstracts accepted for plenary presentation will be presented in an unopposed general assembly.

Oral scientific session abstract presentation
Abstracts accepted for oral presentation will be presented in 90-minute scientific sessions. Each presenter will be given seven minutes to present his or her paper immediately followed by a three-minute discussion.

Digital poster discussion presentation
Plasma screens have replaced traditional printed posters in poster discussion sessions. Each presenter will be assigned a personal screen to display his or her poster. The session will give attendees the opportunity to view posters in detail in an electronic format that promotes interaction between the authors and attendees. Co-moderators (experts in the field or topic) are chosen to provide themed discussions in advance of the session to facilitate the discussion period.

Attention Poster Discussion Presenters!
Poster Discussion Presenters will not be required to produce a printed version of their poster for display in the Poster Viewing area of the Exhibit Hall during the meeting. Presenters will upload their poster in a digital format for display only during their poster discussion session. Posters must also be uploaded to the Virtual Poster Library two weeks before the Annual Meeting.

Poster viewing presentation - two separate viewing sessions
Two separate poster viewing sessions will be held in the Exhibit Hall. Accepted posters will be on display by category for two full days in either Poster Viewing Session I on Sunday and Monday or Poster Viewing Session II on Tuesday and Wednesday. Poster viewing will provide for greater interaction between the researcher and attendees and a designated time to discuss the work presented will be scheduled for each poster viewing session. At least one of the authors must be available at the assigned space during this time. Poster presenters are encouraged to format their poster on one large sheet produced from a poster printer for easy set-up and removal.

*Poster dimensions should not exceed the maximum dimensions: 48" wide by 48" high; 120 cm wide by 120 cm high.

Opportunity for publication in ASTRO’S official journal
Authors of accepted abstracts are encouraged to submit a full manuscript for review and consideration for publication in ASTRO’s official journal, the International Journal of Radiation Oncology•Biology•Physics (Red Journal). Please contact the editorial office at 713-792-6014 or visit www.redjournal.org if you have questions regarding manuscript submission.

Abstract Scoring Criteria
Abstracts for oral and poster presentations will be selected by blind peer review based on the following criteria:

  • Does the abstract pose an important and novel question?
  • Does the study design permit the question to be answered?
  • Are the endpoints of the study clearly defined?
  • Is there an appropriate use of statistics?
  • Are the methods described in sufficient detail?
  • Are the conclusions supported by the data?
  • Has the research been accepted for presentation at another medical meeting?

Specific questions for prospective Phase I/II trials:

  • Is there a rationale, either clinical or laboratory, underlying the study design?
  • Is it either promising enough to pursue or negative enough (for a rational therapy) that presentation would save other investigators from wasting efforts?

Specific questions for retrospective reviews:

  • Is the group of patients reasonably homogenous?
  • Have attempts been made to account for biases inherent in retrospective reviews?

Experts in the topic will review and grade abstracts on content. Papers accepted for oral, poster discussion or poster sessions will possess the same scientific merit.

Conflict of Interest Policy

ASTRO is an accredited provider of continuing medical education and adheres to the policies and standards set forth by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). To ensure its compliance, ASTRO expects that the content and related materials will promote improvements or quality in healthcare and not a specific proprietary business interest or commercial bias. We employ several strategies to ensure absence of bias:

  • Disclosure of financial interests and identification and management of potential conflicts. It is the responsibility of the first author to obtain disclosure information from all co-authors and to report this information electronically during the abstract submission.
  • A balanced view of therapeutic options will be given.
  • A scientifically rigorous review.
  • Use of generic names to contribute to impartiality. If trade names are included in your presentation, trade names for several companies should be used where available.

Late-breaking Abstracts

Submission dates:
August 18 through September 16, 2010

Original abstracts containing important late-breaking research results after the April 8, 2010, regular submission deadline, may be submitted for consideration from August 18 through September 16, 2009. NOTE: SUBMISSIONS THAT ARE AN UPDATE FROM THE APRIL 8, 2010, SUBMISSION DEADLINE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR PRESENTATION. Abstracts will be selected for oral presentation based on scientific merit, timeliness and interest to ASTRO’s membership and attendees. A special panel of peer reviewers will review the late-breaking abstracts and the corresponding author will be notified of the abstract status by September 28, 2009. Late-breaking abstracts will not be published in the proceedings issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology• Biology• Physics (Red Journal), but they will be available on the online version of the proceedings.

Abstracts should only be submitted as late-breaking abstracts if they meet the following criteria:
The research is limited to highly significant and timely findings in clinical oncology, radiobiology or medical physics that were not available at the time of the regular abstract deadline. Only those abstracts that are deemed to be of high scientific priority and which merit plenary presentation will be accepted.

  • Late-breaking abstracts cannot be a revision of an abstract submitted prior to the April 8, 2010, submission deadline.
  • Late-breaking abstracts must not have been submitted, presented, accepted for presentation or published in any other scientific venue.
  • Late-breaking abstracts that are not accepted for presentation will not be presented in any manner during the Annual Meeting.

In general, standards for accepting late-breaking abstracts for presentation are much higher than those required for abstracts submitted through the regular cycle.

2010 Annual Meeting Awards

Resident Clinical/Basic Science Research Abstract Award
This one-time award is designed to promote clinical research by young scientists. The award is granted to the top three resident authors of significant abstracts in biology, clinical practice and physics. The award includes a $1,500 cash stipend, a trophy of recognition and complimentary registration to the Annual Meeting. Applications are accepted as part of the submission process.

Basic Science Abstract Award
This award is designed to encourage participation in the ASTRO Annual Meeting by basic scientists. Up to seven $1,000 awards will be given to applicants having an accepted abstract in either the biology or physics category. Application are accepted as part of the abstract submission process.

Nurses' Abstract Award

This $1000 award is designed to promote clinical research among radiation oncology nurses. The applicant must be a first or co-author of an accepted abstract. Applications are accepted as part of the abstract submission process.

International - U.S. Scientific Abstract Award

This grant is designed to foster continuing medical education, assist in career development and help to establish relationships with leading ASTRO members who may serve as scientific mentors to each recipient. One award of $4,000 will b used to support a radiation oncologist in a developing country to attend the ASTRO Annual Meeting and to spend additional time at a comprehensive cancer center within the United States. Applications are accepted as part of the abstract submission process.

Annual Meeting Travel Awards

Travel awards are available for individuals who have abstracts selected for presentation at ASTRO's 52nd Annual Meeting and who meet certain criteria. ASTRO will award $1,000 to offset travel expenses.