European Congress against cancer at San Roque University Hospitals

San Roque University Hospitals has hosted at its center in Las Palmas de GC, on February 9 and 10, the Winter Congress of the Oncology-Radiotherapy Group of the European Union of Medical Specialties (UEMS). The UEMS brings together 1,6 million doctors in Europe, and more than 40 countries, with the vision of improving and harmonizing the training of specialists in the European space.

This European Congress has been developed in a hybrid format, in-person and online. Among the speakers were the president of the Collegiate Medical Organization of Spain and Vice President of the UEMS, Mr. Tomás Cobo; the director of the European School of Oncology-Radiotherapy, Jesper Grau Erikssen; and Prof. Pedro C. Lara, president of the European Oncology-Radiotherapy group of the UEMS, organizer of the Congress and head of Oncology at San Roque University Hospitals. Professionals from Albania, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Ireland, Sweden, Turkey and the United Kingdom have participated in person. Representatives of Iran have participated as observers.

The lack of specialists in cancer care is a common problem throughout Europe, with a need to ensure that the training of these specialists is comparable in all countries. At the meeting, the European oncology-radiotherapy training curriculum that all member countries recognize and that allows national programs to be harmonized was reviewed. In addition, evaluation formulas have been proposed to ensure the quality of the training received. The Canary Islands suffer in a special way from this lack of medical professionals in oncological care. Although eight specialists in oncology (medical and radiotherapy) are trained in the Canary Islands every year, we continue to suffer a certain shortage of professionals. It must be taken into account that professionals trained in the Canary Islands are not always linked to the hospitals that trained them, for various reasons: better offers in other autonomous communities, precarious contracts or return to their communities of origin.

Added to this international congress is the organization and delivery, at the end of January, of the online course of the Spanish Association of Breast Surgeons, aimed at specialists involved in the treatment of patients with breast cancer, with the aim of acquiring theoretical and practical knowledge of the application of Intraoperative Radiotherapy with INTRABEAM. The course was directed by the breast surgeon, Dr. Víctor Vega, and the head of Oncology, Dr. Pedro Lara. First, a theoretical session was given and then an operation was performed in the operating room that was broadcast for all national and Portuguese participants.