As is traditional at the end of January, the Clarion Congress Hotel Prague hosted the 17th edition of the interdisciplinary oncology colloquium PragueONCO. NICR was also represented in the scientific programme, having co-organised, together with the Neuro-Oncology Section of the Czech Oncology Society, a parallel symposium focused on the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours.
In his opening remarks, co-chair Aleksi Šedo, Director of NICR, noted that the symposium reflects the dynamic development of neuro-oncological research and clinical practice in the Czech Republic. At the same time, it served as a plenary meeting of the entire Neuro-Oncology Section, which successfully hosted the prestigious European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO) conference in Prague last year.
The scientific programme offered a comprehensive overview of current topics in the field, ranging from advanced neurosurgical approaches and modern imaging techniques to molecular diagnostics and experimental research into the tumour microenvironment. Presentations addressed resection strategies in gliomas, complications of surgical treatment of meningiomas, optimisation of imaging protocols for stereotactic radiotherapy, as well as new insights into the molecular and epigenetic classification of central nervous system tumours.
From the research perspective, the programme included a lecture by Ivana Matrasová from the Laboratory of Cancer Cell Biology at IBEO, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, and NICR. Her presentation focused on the role of mesenchymal cells in modifying the extracellular matrix of brain tumours. This topic reflects one of the key directions of contemporary neuro-oncology research: understanding the tumour microenvironment and its impact on invasiveness, treatment resistance, and opportunities for targeted therapy. The contribution also illustrated NICR’s involvement in basic and translational research with the potential to be translated into future clinical practice.
Overall, the section’s programme further confirmed the close integration of clinical and research institutions across the Czech Republic, as well as the important role of NICR as a platform supporting interdisciplinary collaboration not only in the field of neuro-oncology.
