Annual Congress European Association of Urology: highlights in Stockholm

The traditional half-day joint sessions with regional urological groups are extended to a full-day event called EAU International Day – Urology Beyond Europe.

In Stockholm the EAU expects an estimated 10,000 delegates and 3,000 exhibitors.

The EAU aims to present the best of scientific results, lectures and educational courses. This year's programme has a new dimension with an additional congress day on Tuesday 17 March. This day, entitled 'Urology Beyond Europe' endeavours to intensify the collaboration between the EAU and urological societies worldwide. Included in the programme are international joint sessions and case discussions covering selected urological topics.

Second-day highlights include the meetings of the EAU Section Office, with 14 offices and EAU-affiliated groups simultaneously holding their sessions. The section office meetings annually showcase the latest research projects and initiatives which focus on specialised fields such as uro-technology, female and functional urology, transplantation, andrology and urological imaging. ‘Bladder Unlimited’ is the focus of the European Society of Urological Technology (ESUT). The ESUT will be presenting live robotic surgery for the first time. Collaborating with the prestigious Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm, procedures such as laparoscopic and robotic cystectomies and robotic bladder surgery will be demonstrated.

From the European Society of Andrological Urology (ESAU), expert lectures and roundtable discussion will revolve on the theme ‘Testosterone and the Art of Ageing’. The manifold issues related to testosterone will be linked to discussions on endothelial cell, germ cell and other aspects in the molecular level.

In response to feedback from EAU members, the sub-plenary sessions have scheduled two separate meetings on the topics of infections (chaired by Prof. Truls Erik Bjerklund Johansen (DK)) and testis/penile cancer (chaired by Prof. Peter Albers (DE)). The latter meeting will discuss techniques in organ-sparing surgery and the latest updates on chemo and radiation therapy for testis cancer.

Third-day sessions will highlight current challenges in urology starting with a plenary session on the evolution of new technologies and treatments with particular emphasis on Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), including guest lecturers from the Pan African Urological Surgeon’s Association (PAUSA). Dr. Michael Chancellor (Detroit, USA) will give the AUA lecture entitled ‘Botulinum toxin for the lower urinary tract- past, present and future.’

On Day 4, the morning plenary sessions will focus on hot topics in prostate cancer. Providing the SIU lecture is Dr. Martin Gleave (Vancouver, Canada) who will discuss castration resistant prostate cancer with emphasis on new therapeutic approaches. Sub-plenary sessions will continue in the afternoon meetings focusing on andrology, basic science (oncology) and reconstruction.

The last day plenary session on Saturday, 21 March 2009, pays special attention to bladder cancer with guest lecturers and expert speakers taking up manifold issues and controversies. Aside from state-of-the-art lectures, debates and cases discussion are scheduled with topics such as laparoscopic surgery, challenges in bladder cancer diagnosis and bladder preservation.

Also programmed throughout the five-day meeting are interactive courses organised by the European School of Urology. The courses are limited to 100 participants; registration is necessary.

Press representatives are invited to attend the press programme, including the EAU press conference, ‘EAU TV’, a new media initiative including 7 panel discussions with experts which are posted online, and the Meet-the-Expert sessions, this year with Profs Abrams, Naber and Albers.