This Wednesday, the Centre de Convencions Internacional de Barcelona (CCIB), managed by Fira de Barcelona, will host a new edition of the ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Congress. From July 2 to 5, over 3,500 international experts from more than 80 countries in the field of digestive oncology will gather in Barcelona to share knowledge and present the latest advances in diagnosis, treatment, and patient care for gastrointestinal cancers.
Organised annually by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), the event returns to Barcelona after taking place in Munich (Germany) in 2024 and will bring together medical oncologists, surgeons, gastroenterologists, radiologists, and researchers from all over the world. With a strong multidisciplinary focus, the programme features more than 40 sessions, including a daily session mimicking multidisciplinary tumour boards, clinical debates, educational lectures, presentation of the latest research results as well as spaces for the professional development needs of young oncologists.
While the programme spans across the whole spectrum of the disease journey, from diagnosis to aftercare, critical topics of this edition will be: early diagnosis and molecular prevention, targeted therapies and immunotherapy, as well as personalised treatments, the latest therapeutic guidelines vis-à-vis challenges in controversial areas of digestive oncology, with one aim: improving patients’ quality of life and prognosis.
The 2025 edition is expanding on the previous year’s, featuring 4,000 m² of exhibition space and 21 sessions organised by pharmaceutical companies, reflecting the growing interest of both the industry and the scientific community in this annual congress.
“Cancer knows no borders”
Dr. Teresa Macarulla, from Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona and co-scientific chair of the ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Congress, highlights that this congress “is a great opportunity for researchers in the field to present their studies to fellow specialists and raise its visibility within the scientific community.” She also emphasizes that “just as cancer knows no borders, research and medical care should not have them either.”
A packed second half of major medical congresses
The ESMO Gastrointestinal Cancers Congress strengthens Barcelona’s position as a leading international capital for science and medicine and helps consolidate the CCIB as a key venue for hosting major global medical congresses, with a total of 12 scheduled this year.
In fact, the CCIB is kicking off a very busy second half of the year, marked by major health-related events. Over the next six months, the venue will host some of the world’s most prominent medical congresses, including the World Congress on Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) congress, the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE) congress, and AMEE, focused on innovation in medical education.
