Turin hosts successful second edition of BCa Update Special live surgery session attracts international surgeons Prof. Paolo Gontero University of Turin Dept. of Urology, Surgery Turin (IT)
paolo.gontero@ unito.it On 17-18 May, Turin hosted a successful second edition of BCa19 in the Lingotto Congress Centre, a structure designed by Renzo Piano as a refashioning of an old FIAT factory. Two hundred and eighty delegates and faculty took part in two full days entirely devoted to bladder cancer. Lectures were designed to provide an update on key aspects of modern management of the disease, always keeping in mind a strong link to clinical practice. This task was also accomplished in arduous topics such as molecular staging (E. Comperat (FR)), genomic approaches (F. Liedberg (SE)), variant hystologies (P. Black (CA), S. Shariat (AT)) and urinary markers (L-M. Krabbe (DE)), admirably brought from bench to the bedside. Clinical case scenarios represented the core of the meeting, either in the more traditional format of a multidisciplinary panel case discussion (F. Soria (IT)) or as a guide for group discussions. In the latter case, hot and controversial topics such as techniques and new methodologies of visualisation for TURBT (M. Babjuk (CZ), A. Breda (ES), B. Malavaud (FR), J. Dominguez-Escrig (ES)), template of lymphadenectomy (M. Babjuk, F. Witjes (NL)), choice of urinary diversion (M. Ribal (ES), A. Stenzl (DE)) or techniques for cystectomy (open versus robotic – P. Gontero, J. Palou) were addressed as case discussions between the faculty and attendees divided into 3 subgroups in order to foster interactive discussion.
The outstanding lectures by A. Bossi (IT) on trimodal therapy, A. Necchi (IT) and T. Powles (GB) on the latest developments in oncological care and R. Faletti on MRI staging of bladder cancer superbly enriched the multidisciplinary intent of the meeting.
effort was made by the EAU that allowed an incredibly affordable total price of €200 for registration for the meeting including two nights’ stay at the congress hotel.
17-18 May 2019 Turin, Italy
Live surgery event A unique aspect of the meeting was the live surgery event that was organised by the Division of Urology, chaired by me at the Auditorioum of Molinette Hospital, an Academic Institution of the University of Studies of Turin. A wide range of surgical procedures specific to urothelial cancer were performed in three of the Urological theatres that were simultaneously connected with the Auditorium. In Theatre 1, M. Babjuk and F. Witjes presented 2 different ways to perform a TURBT for a papillary tumour (en-bloc resection) and a multifocal high-risk bladder cancer (TURBT with PDD) respectively, discussing the aims and principles of the 2 difference approaches. Subsequently, A. Breda presented the modern conservative management of a 2 cm primary pelvic papillary lesion using the Cellvizio and a combination of Thulium and Holmium laser to achieve a successful complete ablation. In Theatre 2 a nerve-sparing open radical cystectomy (A. Stenzl ) with an “N” neobladder (H. Van Poppel (BE)) took place while a robotic nerve sparing cystectomy (J. Palou) with an intracorporeal VIP neobladder (M. Gallucci (IT)) was ongoing in theatre 3. Notably, the urinary diversion part of both procedures took place at the same time, thus providing a unique show for the enthusiastic audience. The steering and the scientific committee have primarily designed BCa19 as a highly educational event for clinicians (urologists as well as nonurologists) that intend to update their clinical knowledge in the field of urothelial cancer. Two full days of intense work and no room for sponsored sessions. On top of that, a significant investment
Profs. Stenzl and Palou open proceedings on the first day
Close to 300 people came to Turin for the BCa update
Prof. Gontero leads the discussion in the room
Breakout sessions for case discussions are a hallmark of the EAU's oncology updates
Prof. Stenzl was also one of the surgeons on the separate live surgery event
Paul Van Cangh
Ambitious, talented urologist and family man 1943 - 2019 On 14 April 2019, Prof. Paul Van Cangh, an excellent urologist who was loved very much by his patients, passed away. He is survived by his wife Dominique, their children Christophe, Caroline and Sophie and seven grandchildren.
(which was held in English). He promoted uniformity through a European standard of urology and for some years, he was the Belgian representative in the European Board of Urology. But in the first place, Paul Van Cangh was a family man who loved his wife, children and grandchildren. Many of us know his wife Dominique since she joined him at most congresses. Around the year 2000, at the beginning of the digital information era, he showed a projection from his computer and said proudly: “I don’t know anything about these new techniques, but my daughter made the statistics and the pictures”.
Prof. Van Cangh was born in Brussels (BE) on 14 August 1943. He became a medical doctor at the Université Catholique de Louvain (BE) in 1967 where he started his specialisation in surgery which he continued at Harvard University in Boston (US). When he returned to Belgium he started as a resident in urology at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Prof. Grégoir). Later he worked in Paris (FR) and at the University of California in Los Angeles (US). He was nominated consultant at the transplantation unit of the university clinic of the Université Catholique de Louvain. In 1982, he succeeded Prof. J. Brenez as head of the Urology Department at the Clinique Universitaire Saint Luc (part of the Université Catholique de Louvain). In 2001, he became Professor of urology at the UCL. When he was young, he had a small moustache and a pointed beard and with his lovely smile he resembled Professor Calculus from Tintin. He received multiple scientific distinctions and honorific awards, such as the EAU’s Willy Grégoir Medal of the EAU in 2009 and the Karl Storz Lifetime Achievement Award in Endourology from the World Society of Endourology. He was nominated titular member of the Royal Academy of Belgium in 2006 after having the honour of becoming a foreign member of the Académie Nationale de Chirurgie de Paris in 2005.
June/July 2019
Prof. Paul Van Cangh was an excellent speaker and (co-)author of multiple publications in the field of uro-oncology, urolithiasis and minimally-invasive endourology. He was also a very active member of the EORTC. From 1996 to 2004, he was member of the EAU Scientific Committee and contributed greatly to the quality and content of the Annual EAU Congress. He was also famous for the radical prostatectomy he performed, together with Patrick Walsh (Johns Hopkins, Baltimore (US)), on the Belgian King Baudouin on 23 August 1991. Paul Van Cangh was ambitious, since ambition is enthusiasm with a purpose. He was also a perfectionist, especially as a surgeon. He always felt there was room for improvement. A hard worker and
an example of discipline and honesty for his colleagues and residents. But on top of that, he was also an excellent teacher: a ‘vrai maître’ as they say in French. He liked to teach his residents everything he knew. When a famous foreign urological professor visited his department, all residents and staff were invited for an informal meeting in the attic of his house. Van Cangh was a man with a vision who organised many meetings and congresses. When he was president of the French-speaking Société d’Urologie in Belgium he united the association with the Dutch speaking Belgische Vereniging voor Urologie, which resulted in the yearly Belgian Urological Congress
Paul was a loyal friend. I had the pleasure of discovering some parts of the world with him and Dominique. In a canoe on the Zambezi river, he was attacked by a hippo. In Guatemala we went on an adventurous expedition by horse to discover some unexplored pre-Columbian temples and in Zanskar we visited Buddhist monks and herbalists at an altitude of 4,000 meters in the Himalayas. After he retired he planned to organise several missions to surgical and urological departments in developing countries to introduce minimallyinvasive surgery. But alas, it did not turn out the way he hoped. It started with a broken vertebra and he ended in a wheelchair. A very painful situation for such a brilliant man, but he never complained. He was a man with an open mind and a warm heart, an excellent teacher, a good doctor and a close friend to many. He will be greatly missed. Dr. Johan J. Mattelaer EAU History Office
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