International links to open 25th Anniversary EAU Congress tomorrow

The international links built by the European Association of Urology (EAU) in recent years will take centre stage tomorrow as the kick-off and opening event of the 25th Anniversary Congress of Europe’s biggest urological association.

For five days starting tomorrow until Tuesday, April 20, an expected 12,000 urological experts, cancer specialists, medical and healthcare professionals will gather in Barcelona, Spain, for a series of meetings, debates, lectures, courses and workshops that aim to identify best clinical practices, the latest developments in medical research and technology, and an extensive information exchange amongst medical experts coming from and outside Europe.

A total of nine international and regional urology associations will hold joint meetings with the EAU to discuss a wide range of urological issues ranging from uro-oncology, infections, stones, andrology, female urology, surgical reconstruction to paediatric urology, amongst others. Participating in day-long joint sessions are representatives from the urological societies of China, Latin America, Iran, Japan, India, Indonesia, the Arab countries, Korea and Central Asia/Caucasus.

This year’s scientific programme is also one of the most comprehensive organised by the EAU with 1,500 speakers from 52 countries scheduled to participate in the daily plenary sessions, symposiums and other activities. Organisers also received more than 3,000 abstracts with 1,104 abstracts accepted for presentations in 66 poster sessions, 12 oral sessions and eight video sessions.

For media representatives there is a round table discussion that will focus on the theme "Prostate cancer screening in Europe – the debate continues," one of the most controversial topics in international urology. The event is scheduled on Saturday, 17 April. Participating in the discussion are Professors Fritz Schröder, Lars Holmberg, Chris Chapple, Per-Anders Abrahamsson, Walter Artibani, Manfred Wirth, Louis Denis, Freddie Hamdy and Alojz Peterle, member of the European Parliament.

The medical press will also have dedicated Meet the Expert Sessions on Sunday and Monday to provide ample opportunities for renowned specialists to explain the newest developments in medical treatment options for urological diseases. At the Meet the Expert Session the topics up for discussion are the future of robotics in Europe, minimal invasive procedures and new developments in tissue engineering. Experts from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands will lead the sessions with Professors Alexandre Mottrie, Jens Rassweiler and Wouter Feitz.

The fourth and fifth day of the congress will also be occasions for the best published papers in urology. The prizes for the best published scientific papers on fundamental and clinical research will be given on April 19, followed by the prize distribution to the best video awards.

On April 19 the European Association of Urology Nurses (EAUN) will also announce the winners of the best oral and poster presentations and research projects, while the best abstracts in oncology and non-oncology topics will be given on Tuesday, April 20.