2026 Abstract Submissions

• All registrars, clinicians, educators and scientists are invited to submit abstracts of their scientific research in the field of orthopaedics for consideration for a podium or poster presentation at the 2026 SAOA congress. 31 August 2026 – 3 Sept 2026.
• Podium Presentations will be in-person only.
• The closing date for submissions is Friday, 1 May 2026 at 23h00. Kindly be advised that unlike in previous years where extensions have been granted, this year a strict deadline has been implemented to ensure a quality review process and a scientific programme in line with international standards.

The SAOA will endeavour to publish all abstracts of podium presentations online on the Bone & Joint’s Orthopaedic Proceedings platform.

• Abstracts should be in English, no more than 300 words in length.
• Do not use headings (such as “introduction / methods / results”), provide the relevant information as paragraphs without headings.
• State the aims of the study or a description of the problem being analysed.
• Provide a concise outline of the research methodology that was followed, such as the study design, inclusion and exclusion criteria, data collection and analysis strategies that were employed.
• Provide a clear description of the findings.
• Conclude with a short statement on the possible significance and/or clinical implications of the main findings.
• Please avoid referring to authors, hospital, institution or city names in the abstract as the abstracts will be undergoing blinded review.
• Please do not include any figures or references in the abstract. If you have to use abbreviations, please provide the abbreviation in brackets after the first use of the full term.
• Abstracts will be reviewed and published as received. Typographical errors will not be corrected. It remains the responsibility of the authors to ensure that all information is accurate and that the language and presentation is of acceptable standard.
• Abstracts submitted in an incorrect format will not be considered for publication.
• The authors of submissions are responsible for ensuring that all the necessary ethical requirements for the research were complied with, and will be required to submit confirmatory documentation as appropriate.

Example abstract:

 CHANGE IN TUMOUR VOLUME AS A MEASURE OF CHEMOTHERAPY-INDUCED NECROSIS IN EWING’S SARCOMA OF THE BONE

Reduction in tumour volume following chemotherapy may in part be due to necrosis of neoplastic cells, reduction of the supporting stroma or resolution of tumour-induced inflammation.   We analysed the computerised tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and histology of 50 patients with Ewing’s sarcoma of the bone treated between 1983 and 1993 to determine the correlation between change in tumour volume and tumour necrosis following chemotherapy; and determine the influence of tumour necrosis and change in tumour volume on prognosis.  The mean age was 18 years (range 5 to 40 years), 40 of the tumours were located in the extremities, and ten centrally.  The volume at diagnosis varied from 31 ml to 1790 ml.

There was a negative correlation between observed change in volume and necrosis (r = 0.73, p = 0.0001).  Tumour progression, despite chemotherapy, was only seen in those with less than 60% necrosis.  The relapse-free survival and overall survival were 71% and 78%, respectively, for those with more than 90% necrosis, and 37% and 59%, respectively, for those with less than 90% necrosis (p = < 0.05).  Though the outcome in patients with more than 40% tumour volume reduction was better than those with less than 40% reduction, this did not reach statistical significance.  We found no relationship between tumour volume and serum lactate dehydrogenase levels at diagnosis.  Patient’s weight, sex, body mass index and tumour site did not affect change in tumour volume following chemotherapy or the observed tumour necrosis.

We conclude that change in tumour volume is a good predictor of chemotherapy-induced necrosis and that necrosis is a strong prognostic factor in Ewing’s sarcoma of the bone..