The ANZGOG 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) marked a significant milestone for our community, bringing together a record 387 delegates, our largest gathering to date, united by a shared goal: improving outcomes for everyone with a lived experience of gynaecological cancer.

Held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, from 25–27 March 2026, this year’s theme, On the Edge: Translating Innovation into Action, set the direction for the meeting. Across the program, a clear message emerged: innovation alone is not enough, it must translate into real-world impact.

From discovery through to clinical application, the focus remained on turning research into practice to improve both survival and quality of life.

Turning Innovation into Action

The 2026 ASM delivered a strong and diverse scientific program, featuring three keynote speakers, five international experts, and 42 invited speakers from across Australia and New Zealand.

International leaders Dr Kathleen Moore, Dr William Small and Professor Yin Ling Woo joined an expert faculty of clinicians and researchers, sharing insights across the spectrum of gynaecological cancer care, from treatment advances to the role of collaboration in accelerating progress.

Equally important were the voices of lived experience. Twelve ANZGOG Community Engagement Program volunteers participated in the ASM, contributing to sessions and discussions, and ensuring the patient perspective remained central throughout.

Advancing Research Through a World-Class Program

This year’s ASM highlighted the depth and momentum of research across the sector, with a program that spanned early discovery through to clinical application.

Key highlights included:

• 1 Pure Science Symposium
• 2 Breakfast Symposiums
• 5 Specialty Workshops
• 6 Scientific Sessions
• 15 oral and rapid-fire abstract presentations
• 6 rapid-fire poster abstracts
• 30 poster presentations
• 7 ANZGOG trial updates
• 2 new trial concepts

Together, these contributions reflect a strong and growing research pipeline, and ANZGOG’s continued leadership in gynaecological cancer research.

Recognising Excellence

A record number of abstract submissions demonstrated the calibre and breadth of work underway across the community including 40 Clinical and 22 Pre-Clinical Abstracts for oral and poster presentation at the conference.

We are thrilled to congratulate the following recipients of the 2026 Oral and Poster Abstract Awards. They were scored on the significance and innovation of their research, clarity of their results, the relevance of their research in the gynaecological oncology space, and the quality of their presentation.

• Pre-Clinical Oral Abstract Award – Olivia Craig: Utilising organoid drug screens for personalised treatment of Mucinous Ovarian Cancer: Working towards the OrCaS pilot clinical trial.
• Clinical Oral Abstract Award – Danka Zebic: Letrozole Plus Ribociclib in Platinum-Resistant High-Grade Ovarian Cancer: Results from Cohort C of the PARAGON-II Phase II Basket Trial.
• Rapid-Fire Oral Abstract Award – Bonnie Werner: Proteogenomic study of high grade serous ovarian cancer in exceptional responders reveals an HR proficiency signature associated with poor outcomes in cases classified as HR deficient.
• Rapid-Fire Poster Abstract Award – Eva Baxter: Long-term oncological and reproductive outcomes following treatment with the levonorgestrel intrauterine device for endometrial hyperplasia and adenocarcinoma – Results from the feMMe phase 2 randomised clinical trial.
• Clinical Poster Abstract Award – Ayesha Arshad: Patient-initiated follow-up in low-risk endometrial cancer after surgery: A systematic review.
• Pre-Clinical Poster Abstract Award – Sara Atiq: Identification of Methylation biomarkers for the development of an Ovarian Cancer detection test.

The Strength of the ANZGOG Community

What continues to set ANZGOG apart is its community. Across the three days, there was a clear sense of connection and momentum, with conversations extending well beyond the formal program.

As Professor Yin Ling Woo reflected:

“I’ve attended many scientific meetings over the years, but #ANZGOG2026ASM felt different. What stood out was not just the science, but the spirit. A meeting that truly reflected what comprehensive, compassionate, and cutting-edge gynaecological cancer care should be: multidisciplinary, intentional, and anchored by a shared commitment to improving outcomes for women. There was a rare cohesion. Students, individuals with lived experience, senior clinicians, nurses, world-renowned researchers, industry partners, and not-for-profit organisations, learning side-by-side. No silos. No fragmentation. Just one room, one conversation, many perspectives.”

This sense of shared purpose and optimism was evident throughout.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to everyone who contributed to making ASM 2026 a success. In particular, we acknowledge ASM Chair Associate Professor Emma Allanson and Deputy Chair Associate Professor Kate Webber for their leadership, along with the ASM Steering Committee for delivering a program of this scale with such care and rigour. We also thank Dr Nicola Meagher, Dr Holly Barker and Associate Professor Tracy O’Mara for leading the Pure Science Symposium, and all participants whose work continues to strengthen our scientific foundations.

Moving Forward, Together

The ANZGOG 2026 ASM was a celebration of progress but more importantly, it was a call to action. Together, we are building momentum. Together, we are accelerating change. And together, we are bringing hope to everyone impacted by gynaecological cancers. Because when our community comes together, we are not just imagining a better future; we are creating it.