Gratulujeme European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO) k dosažení 30 let od svého založení! Tato významná organizace, sdružující neuroonkologické experty z klinického prostředí i z oblasti základního výzkumu, hráje klíčovou roli ve vývoji a sdílení poznatků v oblasti neuroonkologie v Evropě. Od roku 1994 uspořádala EANO nejdříve každé 2 roky a následně od roku 2017 každoroční konference, na kterých jsou prezentovány nejnovější poznatky a inovace v oboru neuroonkologie. Tyto akce poskytují platformu pro výměnu nápadů a diskuzi o aktuálních tématech mezi odborníky z různých odvětví. S radostí oznamujeme, že díky úsilí přednosty našeho ústavu, prof. Aleksiho Šeda, a jeho kolegů se konference EANO2025 uskuteční v Praze.
V přiloženém článku, zachovaném v původním jazyce, najdete více informací o historii i budoucnosti EANO a vzkazy od bývalého, současného a nově zvoleného prezidenta této prestižní organizace. Přejeme EANO mnoho dalších úspěchů v dalších letech a těšíme se na inspirativní události na konferenci EANO2025 v Praze.
Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO)
The European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO) was established by formal constitution in Brussels, Belgium, in 1994 by a group of European neuro-oncologists who saw the need to promote and professionalize Neuro-Oncology in Europe through a dedicated medical association. The first EANO Meeting was held in Maastricht, the Netherlands in 1994, during which 180 of the participants established the society by formal election. Over the following decades, EANO evolved into an internationally leading, vibrant, interdisciplinary and multiprofessional society representing the many faces of European Neuro-Oncology with a multitude of activities and projects aiming at advancing education, research and care for patients affected by tumors of the nervous system. In 2019, EANO moved its place of registration from Brussels, Belgium, to Vienna, Austria. Today, EANO has over 700 members from more than 70 countries, both in Europe and abroad. EANO is well connected to national and international societies and proud to contribute to joint efforts to advance Neuro-Oncology world-wide in collaborations with the Society of Neuro-Oncology (SNO), the Asian Society of Neuro-Oncology (ASNO), the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), and many other national and international medical and research organizations. This year, in 2024, we celebrate the 30th Anniversary of EANO. As Past President, Current President, and President Elect of the society we take the opportunity to reflect on the past, present and future of EANO.
EANO’s conferences have been bringing together colleagues from all professions and disciplines involved in research on and care for patients with tumors of the nervous system since the inauguration of the association. Initially, these were biennial scientific meetings: Maastricht 1994, Würzburg 1996, Versailles 1998, Copenhagen 2000, Florence 2002, Vienna 2006, Barcelona 2008, Maastricht 2010, Marseille 2012, Turin 2014, and Mannheim/Heidelberg 2016. To reflect the dynamic evolution of our field, we have more recently moved to annual meetings starting with Stockholm 2018 and Lyon 2019. Our 2020 event had to be cancelled and 2021 held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic; we then continued with Vienna 2022 and Rotterdam 2023. We are in Glasgow in October 2024, for our 30th Anniversary. The EANO conferences feature a program rich in educational content (including a dedicated Educational Day prior to the start of the main meeting) as well as basic, translational, and clinical research from all fields of Neuro-Oncology. They attract a large number of participants from various disciplines, with a record of >1000 attendees having been achieved for the first time in Rotterdam in 2023. Consequently, over the years the comprehensive program of the EANO conference is becoming the meeting of reference for those working both at the laboratory bench and/or at the bedside of patients affected with CNS tumors. In addition, EANO is involved in the organization of the World Conferences of Neuro-Oncology Societies (WFNOS), which was last held in Seoul in 2021. In recent years, EANO has also organized regular webinars and focused educational meetings (“EANO Winter School”) and is currently implementing the “EANO Seminars: Foundations in Neuro-Oncology” series with its first edition in March 2024 in Warsaw, Poland. Collectively, EANO is aiming to support networking and knowledge exchange among its members and associates and will continue to provide and organize meetings and foster interactions across disciplines and professions to the benefit of patients with tumors of the nervous system. Furthermore, EANO will continue its efforts to introduce young scientists and clinicians to the field of Neuro-Oncology.
To complement these activities, EANO has recently decided to increase more formal educational opportunities and has developed a dedicated training program, the EANO School of Neuro-Oncology. This School aims to provide education on all aspects of Neuro-Oncology including basic science, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of all neuro-oncology conditions for adults and children. Additionally, it provides updates on rehabilitation and supportive care, addresses end-of-life care, and emphasizes research to inform aspiring healthcare professionals and basic scientists planning a career in the field. The EANO School of Neuro-Oncology is a comprehensive high level, postgraduate, in-depth 2-year virtual program covering 7 weekends (one every 2-3 months) over a period of 2 years (first edition: 2022/2024) and will shortly be expanded to include short-term educational visits to established Neuro-Oncology centers for attendees.
A main priority for EANO has been the publication of high-quality, evidence-based clinical practice guidelines on a broad range of topics including gliomas, meningiomas, brain and leptomeningeal metastases, CNS lymphomas, rare glial tumors, adverse event management, molecular testing strategies and tools, and others.1-8 Some are published jointly with partner societies such as SNO, the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO), the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS), the European Reference Network for Rare Adult Solid Cancers (EURACAN), the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM), the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), the Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) group, and the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) and are widely considered as standard reference for decision making in routine clinical practice and clinical trial planning. To reflect the highly dynamic field, EANO is dedicated to continuously update and expand its guideline portfolio.
As part of its dissemination strategy EANO also strongly supports the distribution of educational and scientific content with the goal to improve the care of patients with tumors of the nervous system through shared responsibility for three major journals of the field, which are jointly published with SNO: Neuro-Oncology, Neuro-Oncology Advances, and Neuro-Oncology Practice. Each of these now has an established profile and growing international impact. EANO has also implemented a highly successful social media strategy with members’ support for various content and postings via EANO’s social media channels, website and newsletter.
EANO has a vision and strong commitment for the creation of a diverse and equal community and the reversal of disparity that is harmful to professionals, patients and society. To this end, EANO has created a Disparity Committee, supported several dedicated projects to address these issues, and is very proud to have achieved stable gender balance among the faculty of the latest EANO meetings.9,10 EANO also aims to elevate the significance of multidisciplinarity in the field. Nurses and allied healthcare professionals have been actively integrated into the society, with an own track at the educational day and since 2021, with the Nurse and Allied Health Professional Committee. Furthermore, the association recognizes that the future of the society lies in the next generation. Therefore, EANO is focusing on the provision of career opportunities, training and mentoring of young society members. Together with the Youngsters Committee, the EANO leadership has developed initiatives such as journal clubs, networking events, mentorship programs, dedicated sessions and workshops at the annual conference and has in recent years succeeded in building an active and vibrant community of early career investigators from various specialties and professions.
This year, EANO is turning 30. Looking back at the first three decades of the association, we see a society that has successfully brought to life its founding idea of bringing together colleagues from different countries, professional backgrounds and disciplines for the good of patients with tumors of the nervous system. EANO today is the leading neuro-oncological association in Europe, connects friends and colleagues in the field, drives innovation, and entertains close relationships with its sister societies all over the world. EANO is vibrant and energetic and has a broad and engaged membership with many ideas, plans and initiatives to expand its activities to fulfil its ultimate goal: to improve the lives of our patients and their families. This year´s celebrations mark the successful path of EANO´s developments so far, as well as the exciting future the society is looking forward to.
Happy birthday, EANO!
Matthias Preusser, Michael
Platten, Susan C. Short