Historian Report

The AANS/CNS Section on Tumors experienced great success during the 13th Tumor Section Satellite Symposium and 2019 CNS Annual Meeting.

The 13th Tumor Section Satellite Symposium was held for the first time in Houston, October 5-6, 2018. The meeting was chaired by Jeff Weinberg, MD, FAANS, and Isaac Yang, MD, FAANS, with the CNS Tumors: Innovative Technology that Advances Patient Care theme. The meeting had outstanding highlights. The first Symposium day was notable with the keynote address given by NASA Astronaut G. Reid Weisman, who spent nearly six months on the International Space Station. He spoke about the exceptionally different nature of living in microgravity. His photos and videos of astronaut training, the space station environment and views of Earth from space were captivating. The second day was highlighted by the Sawaya Symposium to honor the legacy of Raymond Sawaya, MD, FAANS, and his contributions to neuro-oncology. Dr. Sawaya has served as a Satellite Symposium chair, Tumor Section chair and won both the Wilson and Rosenblum Distinguished Awards. Symposium speakers included Fred Lang, MD, FAANS; James Rutka, MD, PhD, FAANS; Mitchell Berger, MD, FAANS; Ziya Gokaslan, MD, FAANS; Nino Chiocca, MD, PhD, FAANS; Fred Barker, MD, FAANS; Jason Sheehan, MD, PhD, FAANS; and Jacques Morcos, MD, FAANS. The symposium concluded with moving comments by Dr. Sawaya himself. The next Satellite Symposium meeting is in association with the 2020 CNS Annual Meeting in Miami.

The Satellite Symposium Gala was held on October 5 at the Four Seasons Hotel. Manish Aghi, MD PhD, FAANS, presided over the Gala program. Jason Heth, MD, FAANS, gave a brief review of the history of the Tumor Section and the Satellite Symposium. Dr. Chiocca received the Charles B. Wilson Award for his contributions to neuro-oncology and his work on oncolytic viral therapy of malignant brain tumors. Susan Chang, MD, received the Mark Rosenblum Distinguished Service Award for her dedicated service to the Tumor Section and neuro-oncology. Dr. Chang honored Mark Rosenblum, MD, FAANS(L), who was at the Gala and who was a strong influence on her decision to pursue neuro-oncology. Henry Brem, MD, FAANS, received the Andrew Parsa Mentorship Award and gave his own memorable comments on how to “pay back” a mentor: Honor the mentor by mentoring others.

The Tumor Section leadership during this meeting included Dr. Aghi as chair, Dr. Sheehan as secretary-treasurer and Steve Kalkanis, MD, FAANS, as past chair. This was Dr. Aghi’s and Dr. Sheehan’s first full meeting after assuming leadership at the conclusion of the spring 2018 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting. Tumor Section practical courses were well attended. There were 12 Tumor Section award winners during the meeting. Gordon Li, MD, FAANS, and Seunggu Han, MD, were the scientific chairs for the meeting. Tumor Section sessions included “Contemporary Management of Incidentally Discovered Tumors” as well as “Technological Advances in Adjuncts to Brain Tumor Surgery.” The next annual meetings are the upcoming 2019 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting, April 13-17, in San Diego and the 2019 CNS Annual Meeting October 19-23, 2019, in San Francisco.