European Urology Today EAU21 Congress News 8-12 July 2021 Virtual 36th Annual Congress of the European Association of Urology Vol. 33 No. 3 - June/July 2021 Will we ever meet in person again? YES! In the lead up to EAU21 Virtual, the EAU Executive Committee looks back at the past 1.5 years In this special EAU21 congress edition of European “Our physical meetings were cancelled, so we had Urology Today, we open with a brief look back at to make the shift to virtual meetings really fast. In the extraordinary year we have seen. We asked no time, the team at the Central Office had built a the members of our Executive Committee what completely new platform from scratch and we their experiences have been and what their were giving webinars twice a week before we expectations are for the future of our association knew it.” and for your daily clinical practices. Prof. Chapple agrees that by the use of tele- and IIn the past 18 months, the EAU Executive videoconferencing the EAU has managed to keep Committee has not met in person due to all travel up to date with everything and continued restrictions, but that hasn’t stopped its members contributing to its sister associations across the from successfully developing educational world. “Within the association, we have managed programmes, stimulating scientific exchanges, and to continue to work on our objectives thanks to the transforming existing services for our members to amazing support from the Central Office, who have the fully digital era. Before they will, hopefully, had significant challenges but have shown great come together in our studio from where multiple resilience in adapting our complete portfolio to a sessions of the 36th Annual EAU Congress (EAU21 virtual setting.” Prof. Van Poppel adds that Virtual) will be broadcast, all five executive working hours have intensified. “Instead of members, Profs. Christopher Chapple (GB), Hein travelling to a nice place to attend a meeting for Van Poppel (BE), Arnulf Stenzl (DE), Manfred Wirth one day and work together for the day having a (DE), and Jens Sønksen (DK), share their personal nice dinner, we now do virtual meetings with the lessons learned and their thoughts on what the same agenda in a couple of hours, preferably in lasting impact of the pandemic will be. the weekends or evenings. So we worked harder, more efficiently.” No travel The past 1.5 years will be remembered as, among Lessons learned other things, the time of no travel, which is quite In terms of lessons learned, Prof. Wirth is very The EAU Executive Committee: Prof. Arnulf Stenzl, Prof. Hein Van Poppel, Prof. Manfred Wirth (standing from left to right), unusual for this quintet used to travelling around clear: “We can omit a lot of travelling. It saves you Prof. Jens Sønksen, and Prof. Christopher Chapple (sitting from left to right). Photo taken in 2019. the world. Prof. Chapple commences: “Not seeing time and money, it is better for our environment my patients at the hospital but having to deal with and will make our lives easier in a lot of ways. them by either tele- or videoconferencing was one Also when looking at education, the online “Telemedicine is not only here to stay, it will also To the final question whether we will ever meet in of the major issues. Even though one can do tele- equivalents offer many advantages.” Prof. Van improve the patient communication as it is much person again, the answer is a wholeheartedly yes! We and videoconferences, it can be quite frustrating Poppel, too, has fully adapted to working remotely easier and faster.” Many patients seem to be happy will travel less, but we need to meet at a regular basis, not being able to examine and treat patients and and has integrated virtual meetings in his ‘new with a Zoom meeting with their doctor, according to although not completely in the same way as we used just to see the waiting lists for surgery growing.” normal’ professional life. Prof. Sønksen. Prof. Wirth agrees: “They benefit from to do, according to Prof. Van Poppel. “We have had a easier second opinions and quicker access to the right fantastic number of years where everything was Prof. Wirth states that not seeing friends and Prof. Sønksen, however, is cautious: “The stop of treatment.” possible, and we must be grateful for that. However, family was the biggest sacrifice. “Especially my physical meetings has led to a deteriorating and poor the ‘old normal’ is very unlikely to ever come back. grandchildren who don’t live nearby. Luckily there education of the residents, at least around me. We The improved access to education at a global scale is Hugs, cuddles, and kisses will be gone for ever.” Prof. is Facetime, but it is just not the same.” For Prof. should be better prepared for crises like this in the another aspect that, according to all executive Chapple concludes that, “Over the last year, we have Stenzl, the world came through his 15” screen of future. Especially when you look at education, not members, will not likely disappear when we go back learned a tremendous amount and that will be his computer. “Throughout the pandemic, I spent only within the EAU but urology in general, you to normal. Prof. Stenzl says: “Many of the smaller reflected in the upcoming virtual Annual Congress.” almost every weekend at home, meeting friends should really have some kind of back-up for your topic-oriented educational meetings and and colleagues virtually. I became much humbler educational plans.” Prof. Chapple foresees an masterclasses will be virtual and shorter.” Prof. Wirth “With a scientific programme that will not make any about the good things in life such as live concerts, enormous problem over the next few years in terms is also convinced that online education will increase. concessions compared to our previous physical theatres, movies, visits to friends, and parties, of catching up on the backlog as well as maintaining “We will have less face-to-face meetings, and smaller congresses, we look forward to welcoming many which were part of our daily lives but all of a the management of existing problems within our meetings will be more and more transformed into an colleagues from all around the world to EAU21 while sudden were not possible anymore.” clinical setting. online equivalent, allowing us to reach a broader we also hope to meet each other in person again next audience outside Europe.” year.” Prof. Van Poppel adds that he learned how to read Another personal lesson learned by Prof. Stenzl from people’s eyes what they think and what their relates to adapting to a new way of interacting during state of mind is. “Whether they are happy, virtual meetings. “I’ve learned to always think about disappointed, the eyes will tell it all.” Also Prof. putting on the microphone before speaking, which Sønksen mentions the psychological aspects of the made me more cautious of contributing with useful pandemic. “I have noted a lot of uncertainty, comments, clearing the bookshelf behind your head because you didn’t know what the future was before turning on the camera and not to yawn when going to bring.” your camera is on.” Provide sustainable To the question how the pandemic has affected All men are positive about our future and see many our society, all agree that this disruption made possibilities in the digital front. Both Prof. Chapple everyone more critical of how to spend their time and Prof. Stenzl recognise that the use of tele- and patency. and what formats are the most beneficial videoconferencing with patients will remain in the financially and in terms of efficiency in gaining future as it facilitates treatment, particularly for knowledge. “From the very beginning, it was clear monitoring and follow-up. “There is an increasing that we had limited possibilities to plan because of number of companies organising online doctor the many unknown factors”, says Prof. Sønksen. visits”, says Prof. Stenzl. Prof. Wirth adds: Resonance® METALLIC URETERAL STENT This is a special EAU21 Virtual edition of European Urology Today (EUT). EAU21 Virtual will be taking place from 8 to 12 July 2021 and promises to be one of the scientific highlights of the year. This 48-page EUT features all quality scientific content written by speakers, interviews with award winners, the full scientific programme, including all MEDICAL the sessions coming live from our studio, and much more. Some products may not be available in all markets. © COOK 12/2018 URO-D44122-EN-F June/July 2021 EUT Congress News 1 Single-use Digital Flexible Ureteroscope 2 EUT Congress News June/July 2021 The PIONEER Big Data platform: How does it apply to prostate cancer? Dr. Susan Evans Axelsson Clinical Coordinator PIONEER Malmö (SE) susan.evans_ axelsson@ med.lu.se To transform prostate cancer (PCa) outcomes we must do things differently. We have not seen a pragmatic change in the treatment of PCa in the last 10 years, thus PIONEER was formed to address this problem and more. PIONEER is one of four Innovative Medicine Initiatives disease-specific Big Data for Better Outcomes (BD4BO) projects. Its focus is on The EAU Executive Committee looks back at the BD4BO in prostate cancer while the other three focus past 1.5 years ........................1 on Alzheimer’s disease (ROADMAP), haematologic malignancies (HARMONY) and cardiovascular disease Figure 2: An infographic on the workings of PIONEER The PIONEER Big Data platform: How does it (BigData@Heart). apply to prostate cancer? ............... 3 Though these are disease-specific projects, they are beneficiaries of improvements.