4th EMUC in Barcelona: Critical appraisal and consensus on new treatment approaches in urological cancers

With the goal to deliver an in-depth review of the latest multi-modal management strategies for urological cancers, the 4th European Multidisciplinary Meeting on Urological Cancers (EMUC) will be held from 16 to 18 November 2012 in Barcelona, Spain.Co-organised by the European Association of Urology (EAU), the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO), the two-a-half-day meeting will examine the most recent management approaches for prostate, bladder and renal cancers.

Sessions will begin with case presentations to provide participants more time to discuss clinically relevant issues and how new research outcomes will change or impact current clinical practice. Focus will be on the latest advances, insights on technical aspects, new drugs and future prospects. Open discussions will also elicit from the audience their views on current management strategies through electronic or interactive voting, which will be done after each expert from urology, medical oncology and radiotherapy present their views.

“As shown in previous EMUC meetings, how multi-disciplinary strategies affect the care we deliver to patients will be emphasised. It is our aim to closely examine the most effective and newest treatment tools and the way various specialists work and collaborate to deliver high-quality healthcare. Participants will not only be updated on current strategies they can use in their clinical practice but also to assess standards and anticipate future trends,” the organisers said.

To underscore the synergy among urologists, oncologists and radiologists, experts from and outside Europe are leading the discussions and providing the most up-to-date information on research trials, the assessment of current treatment standards, and the evaluation by specialists and urological cancer professionals.

First and second-day sessions will tackle management issues in prostate cancer (PCa) with the topics ranging from the multi-modal treatment of metastatic disease, bone-targeted therapies, and managing non-metastatic PCa, among other topics. The latest results from high-profile research studies in Europe and overseas will also be highlighted with expert lectures on the future of medical therapies, imaging, biomarkers, external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy. Also in the agenda is an insightful ‘Point-of-View’ lecture series that will highlight controversial PCa issues.

Challenges in renal cell carcinoma and the role of surgery, medical strategy and new developments in radiotherapy will be taken up in the second day noon session, while locally advanced and oligometastatic bladder cancer will be examined in the last two sessions of the closing day.

With the EMUC event annually attracting a bigger number of cancer professionals, organisers have opened on-line registration this month at www.registration.emucbarcelona2012.org

For the Best Abstract Session, interested participants are reminded of the 2 July 2012 deadline. The link to the abstract submission is http://abstract.emucbarcelona2012.org. Accepted abstracts will also be published in a special supplement.

Participants and abstract applicants are advised to register on time to avoid unnecessary delays and higher late or onsite registration fees.

For other details and related conference information, the EMUC website can be accessed at www.emucbarcelona2012.org