Annual Oncology Meeting Fosters Research and Cross-Border Collaboration - Aránzazu González del Alba
December 14, 2023
Aránzazu González del Alba discusses the SOGUG’s multifaceted mission. SOGUG, primarily known for its annual scientific symposium, focuses on multidisciplinary work in genitourinary cancer, involving specialists like urologists, pathologists, and radiologists. This year, the symposium emphasizes patient experiences, inviting them to share their stories and stay informed about advancements in genitourinary tumors. Beyond the symposium, SOGUG engages in various projects, including an upcoming synergy event with Portugal focused on urothelial carcinoma. The organization also conducts medical education events for residents and early career staff, covering prostate, bladder, kidney cancer, and germ cell tumors. Additionally, SOGUG organizes translational research conferences, fostering a collaborative environment for clinical and translational research integration. These activities not only generate new ideas but also financially support research projects and clinical trials. SOGUG has funded several projects in areas like bladder, prostate, and renal cancer, exploring clinical approaches and biological implications in these cancers.
Biographies:
Aránzazu González del Alba, MD, President of Spanish Genitourinary Oncology Group (SOGUG), Medical Oncologist, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, Spain
Charles Ryan, MD, Chief Executive Officer, Prostate Cancer Foundation, Santa Monica, CA
Biographies:
Aránzazu González del Alba, MD, President of Spanish Genitourinary Oncology Group (SOGUG), Medical Oncologist, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, Spain
Charles Ryan, MD, Chief Executive Officer, Prostate Cancer Foundation, Santa Monica, CA
Read the Full Video Transcript
Charles Ryan: From the 13th SOGUG Symposium in Madrid, I am here with Aránzazu González del Alba, the president of SOGUG, and we are going to talk about SOGUG’s mission, and what goes on beyond this conference during the year and everything SOGUG offers to the Spanish oncologists and urologists. Welcome.
Aránzazu González del Alba: Thank you very much. Good afternoon. Thank you for this opportunity.
As you said, this is edition number 13 of the annual scientific symposium that we have held for SOGUG, our most important event of the year. It is a conference we work on throughout the year and we put a lot of work into it.
It is a conference in which we highlight the multidisciplinary work being done in genitourinary cancer. There are other specialists
such as urologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, nuclear medicine doctors, radiologists, and this year, in this Symposium, we
have also put the focus on the patients.
We are also holding an event at the end in which we invite patients to give their testimony and also to tell us of their experiences so they can stay up-to-date with the main progress that is being made regarding genitourinary tumors. But we do more than that at SOGUG.
We have many other projects in mind. Next week, we have a project; we will be holding an event with Portugal, and it will be a synergy event between Spain and Portugal that deals with urothelial carcinoma. It is called the Synergy event, and it’s the first time it is being held with specialized genitourinary oncologists from Portugal. And, well, beyond this, we have several medical education events for residents and early career staff we will be giving several courses.
We hold two training events a year one for prostate and bladder cancer, the other for kidney cancer and germ cell tumors. And these courses are very popular. with young residents and assistant professors who work in this area.
We also have other events, in particular, translational events. We also hold research conferences with experts in the field of translational research, and we hold meetings in which we share the translational part with the clinical part and then new projects can emerge from there.
We have many activities, it would be Well, we might be overextending ourselves.
Charles Ryan: But these activities also help to financially sponsor research, and clinical trials as well.
Aránzazu González del Alba: So, that’s where the ideas come from. Ideas come up in these meetings. It’s a bit like a research
brainstorming session of ideas and then also some projects, because SOGUG has financed some small projects with its funds and the results from these projects are also presented.
So we are doing both things, presenting projects already done and then also trying to come up with
funding by other means, but SOGUG, from the research part and from scholarship income, grants scholarships/grants to conduct research projects at least in the initial stage.
Charles Ryan: These grants will start with research projects here in Spain. We have carried out a few small translation projects, etc.
Aránzazu González del Alba: We have already granted some scholarships/grants. In fact, last year at Symposium number 12, we had a contest of ideas in which people presented projects. We reviewed several projects, and we chose five of them, to which we provided funding, at least to start the project. And previously, we had given out other scholarships where we granted research grants in order to fund projects and then they continued thanks to the second edition of the scholarships.
Charles Ryan: And what are these projects about?
Aránzazu González del Alba: Well, there are bladder cancer, prostate
cancer, and renal cancer research projects. There are different projects involving the clinical approach to these neoplasms, for example, disagreement, agreement between the determination of DDR genes in liquid biopsy versus somatic alterations, Circulating tumor (ctDNA) findings, what implications can they have in our patients with urothelial cancer. Maybe collecting sequential samples in patients with advanced kidney cancer throughout their treatment and see what implications these biological alterations have.
There are many projects that we have been able to fund and that are in progress right now.
Charles Ryan: Yes. You are a very big organization and you are very busy with many projects.
Well, congratulations on these projects, on the SOGUG organization in general and above all, this conference being held today here in Madrid. And thanks for inviting us from the Prostate Cancer Foundation and UroToday.
Aránzazu González del Alba: For us, it is wonderful that you have come and that you are providing us with a platform to show the Symposium and the SOGUG, and I hope that this will result in many projects that we will undoubtedly be able to develop together.
Charles Ryan: Likewise.
Aránzazu González del Alba: Thank you.
Charles Ryan: From the 13th SOGUG Symposium in Madrid, I am here with Aránzazu González del Alba, the president of SOGUG, and we are going to talk about SOGUG’s mission, and what goes on beyond this conference during the year and everything SOGUG offers to the Spanish oncologists and urologists. Welcome.
Aránzazu González del Alba: Thank you very much. Good afternoon. Thank you for this opportunity.
As you said, this is edition number 13 of the annual scientific symposium that we have held for SOGUG, our most important event of the year. It is a conference we work on throughout the year and we put a lot of work into it.
It is a conference in which we highlight the multidisciplinary work being done in genitourinary cancer. There are other specialists
such as urologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, nuclear medicine doctors, radiologists, and this year, in this Symposium, we
have also put the focus on the patients.
We are also holding an event at the end in which we invite patients to give their testimony and also to tell us of their experiences so they can stay up-to-date with the main progress that is being made regarding genitourinary tumors. But we do more than that at SOGUG.
We have many other projects in mind. Next week, we have a project; we will be holding an event with Portugal, and it will be a synergy event between Spain and Portugal that deals with urothelial carcinoma. It is called the Synergy event, and it’s the first time it is being held with specialized genitourinary oncologists from Portugal. And, well, beyond this, we have several medical education events for residents and early career staff we will be giving several courses.
We hold two training events a year one for prostate and bladder cancer, the other for kidney cancer and germ cell tumors. And these courses are very popular. with young residents and assistant professors who work in this area.
We also have other events, in particular, translational events. We also hold research conferences with experts in the field of translational research, and we hold meetings in which we share the translational part with the clinical part and then new projects can emerge from there.
We have many activities, it would be Well, we might be overextending ourselves.
Charles Ryan: But these activities also help to financially sponsor research, and clinical trials as well.
Aránzazu González del Alba: So, that’s where the ideas come from. Ideas come up in these meetings. It’s a bit like a research
brainstorming session of ideas and then also some projects, because SOGUG has financed some small projects with its funds and the results from these projects are also presented.
So we are doing both things, presenting projects already done and then also trying to come up with
funding by other means, but SOGUG, from the research part and from scholarship income, grants scholarships/grants to conduct research projects at least in the initial stage.
Charles Ryan: These grants will start with research projects here in Spain. We have carried out a few small translation projects, etc.
Aránzazu González del Alba: We have already granted some scholarships/grants. In fact, last year at Symposium number 12, we had a contest of ideas in which people presented projects. We reviewed several projects, and we chose five of them, to which we provided funding, at least to start the project. And previously, we had given out other scholarships where we granted research grants in order to fund projects and then they continued thanks to the second edition of the scholarships.
Charles Ryan: And what are these projects about?
Aránzazu González del Alba: Well, there are bladder cancer, prostate
cancer, and renal cancer research projects. There are different projects involving the clinical approach to these neoplasms, for example, disagreement, agreement between the determination of DDR genes in liquid biopsy versus somatic alterations, Circulating tumor (ctDNA) findings, what implications can they have in our patients with urothelial cancer. Maybe collecting sequential samples in patients with advanced kidney cancer throughout their treatment and see what implications these biological alterations have.
There are many projects that we have been able to fund and that are in progress right now.
Charles Ryan: Yes. You are a very big organization and you are very busy with many projects.
Well, congratulations on these projects, on the SOGUG organization in general and above all, this conference being held today here in Madrid. And thanks for inviting us from the Prostate Cancer Foundation and UroToday.
Aránzazu González del Alba: For us, it is wonderful that you have come and that you are providing us with a platform to show the Symposium and the SOGUG, and I hope that this will result in many projects that we will undoubtedly be able to develop together.
Charles Ryan: Likewise.
Aránzazu González del Alba: Thank you.