Charité Mayo Conference: Fighting cancer in women for 27 years

The latest findings in gynaecological oncology were discussed at the 12th Charité-Mayo Conference. Prof. Sehouli shared his congress' highlights.

Charité Mayo Conference incorporates physicians and patients

Our conference is traditionally aimed at a professional audience, but also includes the non-specialist public. For this purpose, we make a daily summary every evening, which is forwarded to the interested community via social media, Facebook and Instagram. Some international self-help groups are also directly represented at the conference and multiply the content to their networks in the different countries.

The interplay of breast cancer medicine, gynaecological oncology, translational medicine, and global health

We always promote a holistic approach at our congresses! Our successful and unique concept is a combination of the big topics on the one hand and very practical application courses and seminars on the other. So we involve the relevant specialists in the field of breast cancer medicine, gynaecological oncology, translational medicine and global health. I think that today it is no longer appropriate to discuss these large fields of information separately. And we focus on dialogue, that is, dialogue between professions, countries, and across continents.

We complement these big topics with very, very exciting and special workshops. For example, there were live operations from the Charité Hospital - also with renowned guest operators. In addition, special cadaver courses have been established for the first time at a CMC congress. There was also an intensive seminar on cervical cancer and nerve-sparing surgical techniques. A special course on prerehabilitation and enhanced recovery surgery brought great attention. This was about the optimal multidimensional preparation of the patient for an operation, through which the morbidity is kept as low as possible.

World premiere of two studies in gynaecological oncology

I presented for the first time the data from 20 years of treatment of ovarian cancer at the Charité University Hospital. Dr Jörg Neymeyer presented results from data on ureteral stents for the first time. And we showed the latest study data on endometrial carcinoma. In addition, 45 current poster as well as latest studies were presented.

New Charité Mayo Award goes to the inventor of Herceptin

In addition to the packed scientific programme, we traditionally also have a lot of cultural events. Our opening evening took place at the Berlin Museum of Natural History. There was an honorary symposium for the founder of the Charité Mayo Conference, Prof. Werner Lichtenegger, on his 80th birthday. And we enjoyed the world premiere of the film Die zweite Stimme (English translation: The Second Voice). We started the first film 13 years ago and have now completed it with this second installment. This film accompanied five patients who were seriously ill with advanced ovarian cancer at the time, and four of them are still alive.

Also, our radio station Charité-Mayo once again broadcasted from the very start of the congress. I am particularly pleased that a new International Charité-Mayo Award was presented. Its first edition was given to none other than the great inventor of Herceptin, Dennis Slamon, who travelled from the USA to join us in person and to share with us an incredible award lecture.