Late-breaking is an adjective that refers to news items or a news story that emerges after the normal deadline. It can also be a term used to describe a television or radio program that interrupts regular programming to cover an urgent item. In the past, this was referred to as a cut-in or a news crawl, but with the rise of 24-hour news networks, this type of coverage is now commonly seen as a separate, specialized category called “special reports.”
Although many original research presentations at scientific meetings carry significant clinical implications, few are considered “Late Breakers.” It may be that this pendulum has swung too far, in which case a substantial number of other relevant, highly important studies occur in other sessions and could lose the attention they deserve.
For a paper to be selected as Late-Breaking, it must report research data that became available for public dissemination only after the date of the regular abstract submission deadline (April 16). The study and results reported should be novel, not merely an extension or confirmation of other critically important work, and not be published or presented anywhere else at the time of abstract submission. In addition, it should not be a case report or a small confirmatory study that does not address an important, unresolved question in the field. This is to ensure that the research meets rigorous criteria. Membership in SRI is not a prerequisite for submitting a late-breaking abstract.