Late-breaking is the term used to describe a special category for abstracts reporting data that became available after the general abstract submission deadline but that is highly relevant and impactful. This is not a bucket to allow late submissions of less-compelling research, and the selection process for this track is competitive. Only a limited number of late-breaking abstracts will be selected for oral presentation at the meeting, and they must be submitted by the regular deadline in order to be considered.
The presenting author of an abstract selected for late-breaking must be registered and paid to present at the MSMilan2023 Congress. The abstract will also be published in the Late Breaking Supplement of the Multiple Sclerosis Journal and on the congress website.
While the concept behind late-breaking is sound, the pendulum has swung too far in the direction of making this a competitive and attention-grabbing category. As a result, it is possible that the special status of this group is obscuring the fact that an overwhelming number of high-quality, clinically important studies will occur in other sessions.
The Spotlight on Late Breaking Clinical Research sessions provide the opportunity for researchers to highlight results from major randomized controlled trials and registry-based studies that will likely impact clinical practice. The program will include a limited number of oral platform presentations and several rapid fire sessions. In addition, paper poster and ePoster presentations will be available in the MSMilan2023 Congress program. Research that has previously been presented at a national meeting will not be accepted for the late-breaking category, and case reports are generally not considered appropriate.