Friday, 2 November 2007 - More than a thousand cancer specialists gathered today in Barcelona for the two-and-a-half day European Multidisciplinary Meeting on Urological Cancers, a precedent-setting event organized by major European organizations - the EAU, ESMO, ESTRO and the EORTC. Per-Anders Abrahamsson (EAU), Cora Sternberg (ESMO), Thomas Wiegel (ESTRO) and Theo De Reijke (EORTC), all lauded the initiative and highlighted the crucial role of multi-disciplinary collaboration in urological cancers. "We would certainly want to see more of these meetings that bridge various disciplines. This initiative is something we have to continue in the future," said Abrahamsson. 

The following highlights are key messages from the first morning session which focused on current therapies in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Among the featured lecturers were Ronald Bukowski, Cora Sternberg, Inderbir Gill, Joaquim Bellmunt Molins, Tim Eisen and Peter Mulders. 

"A variety of active agents and combinations have been identified that are associated with clinical benefit for clear cell cancer…(Future developments would include the) investigation of biomarkers to provide information to assist in developing molecular classifications of RCC, and to enhance assessment of response and progression now required." (Ronald Bukowski, State-of-the-art-lecture on Renal Cell Carcinoma: "What does the future hold?") 

"My view is that minimal invasive nephron sparing surgery is a strong and viable partner to open surgery." (Inderbir Gill on "Laparoscopic partial and radical nephrectomy.") 

"Novel targeted agents have demonstrated an increase in PFS in 1^st and 2^nd line and an increase in survival in poor-risk therapy-naïve patients…They are better tolerated than cytokines, but there is toxicity associated with these agents…toxicities are manageable but must be understood."  (Cora Sternberg on "Targeted therapy in RCC.") 

"There must be a single global strategy (on adjuvant therapy trials) otherwise we will have slow progress," (Tim Eisen, on the duplication of adjuvant therapy trials for RCC on the international level.) 

For the full programme: http://www.emucbarcelona2007.org/