WELCOME TO THIS YEAR SYMPOSIUM
Dear friends & colleagues,
the multidisciplinary digestive oncology team of UZ Leuven is pleased to invite you to the 8th edition of the Towards New Standards in the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer Symposium. This prestigious event will take place once again at the BMCC in Bruges, Belgium, on Thursday, December 3, and Friday, December 4, 2026.
Continuing our commitment to excellence, the symposium will provide in-depth scientific content and serve as a forum for multidisciplinary dialogue among healthcare professionals. Our focus remains on the value of integrated, collaborative care in the management of colorectal cancer.
Main Symposium Highlights – Friday, December 4, 2026
- - Early rectal cancer and new endoscopic techniques
- - Implementation of robotic surgery
- - The concept of oligometastatic disease
- - New ablative techniques for liver metastasis
- - Practice changing trials
- - A granular treatment algorithm (the Leuven protocol)
- - Emerging total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) strategies - immunoTNT
Workshops and Pre-Symposium – Thursday, December 3, 2026
On December 3, we will host a series of focused workshops and a pre-symposium seminar tailored for a wide range of healthcare professionals. These sessions will provide practical insights and interactive learning opportunities across disciplines:
- 1. A dedicated peer organised healthmate programme
- 2. Understanding Immunotherapy
- 3. Surgical technique and robotics
- 4. Innovative techniques to deal with a low anastomotic leak
On Thursday evening, the symposium will be officially opened with a plenary session featuring keynote lectures by leading experts in the field. Following the opening session, we warmly invite you to join us for a networking drink.
The “Towards New Standards” Symposium has the ambition to gather > 300 specialists and specialists in training in the field visceral surgery, digestive oncology, radiology and radiation oncology.
Please mark your calendars – we look forward to seeing you in Bruges!