EMUC14: Multidisciplinary approach most suited to tackle future uro-oncological challenges

With recent advances in cancer research, experts are saying that the need for a multidisciplinary is increasingly becoming a crucial and indispensable tool to effectively tackle future prospects and challenges in uro-oncology.

“The ability to study and treat urologic malignancies is a multidisciplinary approach in both the existing clinical and research settings, which enables us to better understand the evolving biology,” said Prof. Christopher Evans, professor and chairman of the Department of Urology at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine (USA).

Evans is co-organising the upcoming EAU- International Consultation on Urological Diseases (ICUD) Consensus Meeting to be held in conjunction with the 6th European Multidisciplinary Meeting on Urological Cancers (EMUC) in Lisbon, Portugal, on November 13. Together with Prof. Christian Stief (University of Munich, DE) as lead organiser, the consultative meeting allows for a complete insight into the treatment of urological malignancies within a compact, day-long scientific programme.

Evans noted that various disciplines such as urology, medical oncology, radiation oncology and radiology are making progress in the diagnostics and treatment of prostate, urothelial, testes and renal cancers, and these advances can only be effectively used if specialists from these fields actively share their knowledge.

According to Evans, urologists have to deal, just like their colleagues from other disciplines, with the increasing complexity of modern diagnostics and treatment modalities. In recent years, treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer, for example, has seen the rapid evolution of a range of treatments, particularly in medical management options. Urologists have to keep up with the rapid pace in order to offer their patients the best possible outcomes. “The management of castration-resistant cancer is an exploding area of new therapeutics,” said Evans, adding that urologists will have to be equipped with the necessary knowledge on how to sequence drug combinations for optimal results or find practical applications for new research outcomes.

“Understanding the biology and mechanisms of advanced urologic malignancies set the foundation for treating these patients,” noted Evans, a concern which is reflected in the programme of the EAU-ICUD meeting.

In the one-day consultative conference, several international experts will examine in Lisbon the current developments in four areas of urological malignancies: kidney, testis, bladder and prostate cancers. Prostate cancer will be highlighted with the experts examining the range of second and third-line treatment options, and the prospects that can be expected in the coming years.

Besides challenges in the clinical setting, Evans also underscored that urologists have to deal with everyday practical issues. “There are competing pressures for the urologist with regard to patient care, electronic documentation, revenue and the business aspects of medicine that occupy much time. The logistics of having a multidisciplinary group of people find the time to discuss patients has to be integrated into the clinical practice,” he said.

Providing an overview on the newest treatment strategies and how the insights of experts impact the actual mechanics of multidisciplinary care are, therefore, one of the aims of the EAU-ICUD and EMUC meetings.

The 6th EMUC, organised by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), the European Association of Urology (EAU) and the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO), does not only intend to strengthen professional links but also critically examine how multidisciplinary teams can best respond or apply the results of the latest research studies. Held for the first time in 2007 as a biennial conference with an initial focus on prostate and kidney cancers, the event is now organised annually since 2011.

Regarding the EAU-ICUD meeting, Evans welcomes the event as a chance for specialists in uro-oncology to exchange views while engaging an audience of specialists.

“Our meeting will take the input of an international group of experts and present a comprehensive approach to the urologic community to better understand the medical treatment of advanced urologic malignancies,” he said.

For details on registration, abstract submission and the EMUC programme, please visit the EMUC Website.