A Challenger in Davos Series: Dr. Axel Merseburger

The date for the 2014 European Urology Forum is coming closer. Between 1 and 4 February, professionals will gather in Davos, Switzerland, to challenge current urological methods and treatments and identify possible developments.

One of the most awaited parts of this meeting is the “Challenge the Experts” sessions, in which doctors discuss the latest clinical evidence to discover new possibilities. Dr. Axel Merseburger is one of the challengers. Below, he shares his thoughts on the challenges Davos presented, and the topics he will talk about during his challenge.

Preparing for the challenge: The experience

“I was delighted when I received the invitation by the EAU office, to be one of five challengers at the 2014 Davos Winter meeting. However, I immediately realized that this meant a lot of timely preparation since the Davos meeting starts as the ASCO-GU meeting, with its wealth of data is ending. In order to deliver the most recent data to the expert panel and audience I will have to work during my flight back from San Francisco. Fortunately, however, all three topics I will be presenting are core topics for me. I treat and operate patients on these areas on a daily basis.”

Cancer therapies: The challenge

With the knowledge accumulated at ASCO GU, Dr. Mersenburger will first talk about treatment options in metastatic CRCP, particularly trials that have shown promise in increasing survival time.

“I am personally looking forward to present a comprehensive update on metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). This gives me a great opportunity to further discuss the PREVAIL data (Enzalutamid prior chemotherapy) which will be presented at ASCO-GU in San Francisco a few days before the meeting. This and other recent trials have led to the approval of several substances resulting in an increased survival time for men suffering from prostate cancer in this end stage of the disease. Additionally I would like take the opportunity to introduce the recently founded German-Working Group on Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (GWG-CRPC).”

He will also present the results of the guideline working group for renal cell cancer. With the EAU annual meeting in Stockholm fast approaching, the update on this topic has the working group working hard. Dr. Mersenburger explains a bit more about his talk:

“This work is the backbone of my presentation and update on mRCC treatment. While several substances are available for first and second line therapy, the optimal sequence and possible combinations will be discussed.”

To round off his presentation, he will talk about Surgery in T3b RCC – Limitations and possibilities, also based on his work with the EAU Guideline working group.

“About 10% of patients with renal cell carcinoma present with venous tumour thrombus. Uncertainties remain over surgical treatment in terms of comparative effectiveness and harm. A systemic review narrative synthesis of the evidence performed within the EAU Guideline working group allowed to shed more light on this topic. The data analysis showed that there was no distinctly superior surgical method for the excision of vena cava thrombus, and that the method appeared to be dependent on tumour thrombus level. Also, the value of pre-operative embolization was questionable.”

His presentations will certainly bring some discussion on therapy possibilities, and will spark some debate in Davos.

Visit the official webiste of the event for more information >