The ESU's MOGUC: Preparing urologists for the post-surgical landscape

Prof. Van Poppel, former ESU Chairman and co-chairman of the Medical Oncology course on Genitourinary Cancer (MOGUC) says urologists will need to familiarise themselves with medical oncology in order to keep up with developments in treatment. "We are moving to a time where surgery will lose its prominence, and medicine will provide treatment for urological cancers."

“Urologists can’t make the mistake of thinking that they’re just surgeons. They will lose their impact on their patients’ treatment if they’re not familiar with the latest drugs and treatments.”

The MOGUC is a day-long multidisciplinary educational programme for urologists and oncologists alike, designed to familiarise the two groups with each other’s specialties and disseminate standardised approaches for urological cancers. It took place on November 14th, in Marseille, France, as a prelude to the longer EMUC meeting at the same venue.

Speaking at the end of the day, ESU Chairman and co-chair of the course Prof. Joan Palou: “We’ve had around 80 registrations for the MOGUC, so we’re pleased with the level of interest. We saw oncologists asking questions on surgery, and urologists asking oncological questions. That’s exactly what we strive for at meetings like this.”

One of the lecturers of the course was Prof. Bernard Escudier, a prominent oncologist whose participation was well-received. Prof Escudier on the nature of the programme: “I think urologists are quite advanced in their educational programmes. MOGUC is a good example of a relatively small group that wants to know more about a specific topic, with experts teaching best practice and raising questions. This is a useful tool.”

The programme uses a pre- and post-knowledge test for participants to establish their progress at the end of the course. In the case of the Marseille EMUC, the scores showed a clear improvement of the participants. 85% of participants felt that participation in the course would improve patient care, and even more felt that the course had increased their professional knowledge. Questionnaires were also distributed to participants, with a high rate of return. Comments on the speakers and the content are vital to keep the course relevant in future.

An expanded version of this article will be featured in the next edition of European Urology Today.