I don't view this as inherently a sign of deception. I think it's entirely likely, though admittedly not certain, that there had been a submission to another journal out since last fall. Since building toward ASCO has always been part of the plan (see the size of the booth), they had to have *something* published before the conference. With the prospect of the first journal dimming, they went for another (lower tier) journal that could guarantee a quick turnaround to publication. That would ensure that something could get out in time. If that's the case, it would speak to the sensitivity of management to the timing. That would bode well for the coming weeks.
This is all a hypothesis, of course, but it's a distinct possibility. I was at the meeting too, and there's no reason why Linda and Les would have stated a categorical "yes" for having submitted the publication to a journal. If truly subversive, they would have tried some weasel language instead. IMHO.