European Chapter Congress of the IGCA
EGCC 2026 – Krakow
2–3 October 2026
DAY 1 – FRIDAY, 2 OCTOBER
Room A (Main Hall)
SESSION 1 (08:30–10:15)
Gastric Cancer State-of-the-Art Education in Western Countries
Chairs: Piotr Richter (Poland), Hans Meyer (Germany), William Allum (United Kingdom)
08:30–08:45 Opening lecture – History of gastric surgery in Krakow – Ryszard Gryglewski (Poland), Arkadiusz Jawień (Poland)
08:45–09:00 AI in diagnosis – Seung-Hun Chon (Germany)
09:00–09:15 AI in Pathology – Heike Grabsch (Netherlands)
09:15–09:30 AI in Surgery – Pietro Mascagni (Italy)
09:30–09:45 Training in robotic surgery – Richard van Hillegersberg (Netherlands)
09:45–10:00 How to teach young surgeons open gastrectomy? – Osvaldo Antonio Prado Castro (Brasil)
10:00–10:15 Discussion
10:15–10:45 COFFEE BREAK
SESSION 2 (10:45–13:00)
Video Teaching – How we do it
Chairs: Carlos A. García Carrasco (Chile), Wojciech Kielan (Poland), Paul Schneider (Switzerland)
10:45–10:55 Open D2 lymph node dissection in the East – Takeshi Sano (Japan)
10:55–11:05 Open D2 lymph node dissection in the West – Henk Hartgrink (Netherlands)
11:05–11:15 Laparoscopic D2 lymph node dissection in the East – Jiafu Ji (China)
11:15–11:25 Laparoscopic D2 lymph node dissection in the West – Michał Pędziwiatr (Poland)
11:25–11:35 Robotic D2 lymph node dissection in the East – Han-Kwang Yang (Korea)
11:35–11:45 Robotic D2 lymph node dissection in the West – Suzanne S. Gisbertz (Netherlands)
11:45–12:05 D2+ lymphadenectomy – Franco Roviello (Italy)
12:05–12:20 Open esophago-jejunal anastomosis – Stefan Mönig (Switzerland)
12:20–12:35 Laparoscopic esophago-jejunal anastomosis – Maciej Michalik (Poland)
12:35–12:50 Robotic esophago-jejunal anastomosis – Peter Grimminger (Germany)
12:50–13:00 Discussion
13:00–14:00 LUNCH
SESSION 3 (14:00–15:30)
Multidisciplinary Case Discussion
Chairs: Markus Moehler (Germany), Arnulf Hölscher (Germany), Paulo Kassab (Brasil)
14:00–14:15 Locally advanced gastric cancer – Lúcio Lara Santos (Portugal)
14:15–14:30 Oligometastatic gastric cancer – Mickael Chevallay (Switzerland)
14:30–14:45 Conversion surgery – Maria Bencivenga (Italy)
14:45–15:30 Discussion panel: Giovanni De Manzoni (Italy), Magnus Nilsson (Sweden), Florian Lordick (Germany), Radka Obermannová (Czech Republic), Rupert Langer (Austria), Hilal Şahin (Turkey)
15:30–16:00 COFFEE BREAK
SESSION 4 (16:00–17:30)
Hot Topics in Gastric Cancer
Chairs: Manuel Pera (Spain), Wojciech Polkowski (Poland), Enver İlhan (Turkey)
16.00–16.15 Pouch reconstruction after minimaly invasive gastrectomy – Domenico D’Ugo (Italy)
16:15–16:30 Proximal gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer – Felix Berlth (Germany)
16:30–16:45 Hot topics in gastric Cancer pathology. Rupert Langer (Austria)
16:45–17:00 Best robotic system – Simone Giacopuzzi (Italy)
17:00–17:15 Indexes of surgical quality – Daniele Marrelli (Italy)
17:15–17:30 Discussion
19:00 Congress Social Event (Departure 18:30)
Room B (Parallel Sessions)
10.45 – 11:45 IGCA Poorly Cohesive Working Group
Heike Grabsch (Netherlands), Rupert Langer (Austria),
11:45 – 12:45 IGCA Robotic Gastrectomy Working Group
Maria Bencivenga (Italy), Sheraz Markar (UK), Guillaume Piessen (France)
14:00 – 15:00 Video Presentations
Chairs: Suzanne S. Gisbertz (Netherlands), Stanisław Kłęk (Poland), Peter Grimminger (Germany)
14.00 – 14.15
Organ sparing surgery for EGJ cancer
Benzoni Ilaria, Ottaviani Luca, Quarti Luca, Celotti Andrea, Bonafede Martina, Raschiani Andrea, Frittoli Barbara, Grassia Roberto, Baiocchi Gian Luca
University of Brescia, ASST Cremona, Italy
14.15 -14.30
Robotic Proximal Gastrectomy with Esophagojejunal Semimechanical Anastomosis and Double Tract Reconstruction for Early Gastric Cancer in Juvenile Polyposis Syndrome
Davide Citterio, Carlo Sposito, Camillo Franzetti, Vincenzo Mazzaferro
Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milano, Italy
14.30 – 14.45
Reconstruction with Lawrence-Hunt Jejunal Pouch After Totally Mini-Invasive Gastrectomy
Annamaria Agnes, Laura Lorenzon, Lorenzo Rocca, Pasquale Moretta, Francesca Chicchi, Massimo Pascariello, Lorenzo Ferri, Flavio Tirelli, Domenico D’Ugo, Roberto Persiani, Alberto Biondi
Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCSS , Italy
14.45 – 15.00
Discussion
DAY 2 – SATURDAY, 3 OCTOBER
Room A (Main Hall)
SESSION 5 (08:30–10:00)
Current Relevant Clinical Trials in Europe
Chairs: Radka Obermannová (Czech Republic), Magnus Nilsson (Sweden), Marek Sierżęga (Poland)
08:30–08:40 MAGE project – Karol Rawicz‑Pruszyński (Poland)
08:40–08:50 CONTRO‑GAST study – Erman Aytaç (Turkey)
08:50–09:00 CONVERGENCE trial – Jimmy So (Singapore)
09:00–09:10 PUMA trial – Federica Filippini (Italy)
09:10–09:20 IPa-Gastric trial – Lisa Liu Burström (Sweden)
09:20–09:30 PERISCOPE II trial – Johanna van Sandick (Netherlands)
09:30–09:40 GASTRODATA 2.0 – Gian Luca Baiocchi (Italy)
09:40-09:50 OMEGA trial – Suzanne S. Gisbertz (Netherlands)
09:50–10:00 Summary
SESSION 6 (10:00–10:30)
Lecture: The Immunotherapy Era
Introduction – Han-Kwang Yang (Korea)
Speaker – Florian Lordick (Germany)
10:30–11:00 COFFEE BREAK
SESSION 7 (11:00–12:45)
New aspects of neoadjuvant, adjuvant and surgical techniques.
Chairs: Giovanni De Manzoni (Italy), Paulo Costa (Portugal), Grzegorz Wallner (Poland),
11:00–11:15 The role of endoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of early gastric cancer Stefan Seewald (Switzerland) on-line
11:15–11:30 Non‑operative management for MSI gastric cancer – Markus Moehler (Germany)
11:30–11:45 D‑FLOT as a new standard for LAGC – Radka Obermannová (Czech Republic)
11:45–12:00 Fluorescence and image guided surgery – Mark van Berge Henegouwen (Netherlands)
12:00–12:15 Non‑operative management for esophageal cancer – Bas Wijnhoven (Netherlands)
12:15–12:30 Impact of Claudin 18.2–targeted therapy on advanced GEJ and gastric cancer: potential for conversion surgery – Alexander Siebenhüner (Switzerland) on-line
12:30–12:45 Discussion
SESSION 8 (14:00–15:00)
Gastric Cancer Survivorship and Patient Optimization
Chairs: Sheraz Markar (UK), Pauli Puolakkainen (Finland), Maria Bencivenga (Italy)
14:00–14:10 EGA CURE registry – Judith Gebauer (Germany)
14:10–14:20 SARONG‑II trial – Jessie Elliott (Ireland)
14:20–14:30 QoL after gastrectomy – speaker TBA (Sweden)
14:30–14:40 Surveillance after complete clinical remission – Alberto Leone (Italy)
14:40–15:00 Discussion
15:00–16:00 European Chapter IGCA General Assembly
Chairs: Stefan Mönig (Switzerland), Franco Roviello (Italy), Wojciech Polkowski (Poland)
Room B (Parallel Sessions)
8:30 – 10:30 IGCA Oligometastatic Working Group
Paolo Morgagni (Italy)
11:00 – 13:00 Oral Presentations
Chairs: Franco Roviello (Italy), Wojciech Polkowski (Poland), Domenico D’Ugo (Italy)
11.00 -11.08
Not every abdominal complication is the same: perioperative and long-term sequela of postgastrectomy complications.
Marek Sierzega, Daromir Godula, Marta Walczak, Łukasz Bobrzyński, Piotr Richter
Affiliation: First Department of Surgery, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Cracow, Poland
11.08 – 11.10
Discussion
11.10 – 11.18
Routine nasogastric decompression versus no decompression after gastrectomy for gastric cancer: a systematic review
Michele Barbiero, Francesca Sbuelz, Rossella Reddavid
Affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Turin
11.18 – 11.20
Discussion
11.20 – 11.28
Treatment delivery, dose intensity and outcomes across peritoneal metastatic phenotypes in advanced gastric and gastro-oesophageal junction adenocarcinoma: a Swedish real-world cohort
Elina Azizi1, Osama Hamida2,3, Linn Werth3, Ida Lagstam4 Magnus Nilsson1,5, Lisa Liu Burström1,2,5
Affiliation: 1. Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden 2. Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden 3. Theme Cancer, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden 4. Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden 5. Department of Upper Abdominal Diseases, Theme Cancer, K
11.28 – 11.30
Discussion
11.30 – 11.38
Curative-intent treatment for distal gastric cancer with gastric outlet obstruction: Management pathways and clinical outcomes from a Swedish multicenter cohort
Adam Zeyara, Léonie Scarfone, Martina Hermez Chole, Dan Falkenback, Bobby Tingstedt, Jan Johansson, Ioannis Rouvelas
Affiliation: Department of Surgery, Skåne University Hospital in Lund, Sweden
11.38 – 11.40
Discussion
11.40 – 11.48
The oncological efficacy of D2+CME for locally advanced gastric cancer: 5-year outcomes of DCGC01 trial
Daxing Xie, Jie Shen, Jianping Gong
Affiliation: Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
11.48 – 11.50
Discussion
11.50 – 11.58
Radical Surgery versus Non-Surgical Management After Successful Conversion Therapy for Gastric Cancer with Peritoneal Metastasis: A Phase III Prospective Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial (ALANO)
Hua Huang
Affiliation: Department of Gastric Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, No. 270 Dong’an Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
11.58 – 12.00
Discussion
12.00 – 12.08
Prospective Single-Cohort Study of Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) in Gastric Cancer
Dobrzhanskyi O., Pepenin M., Kolesnyk A., Turchak V., Khyduntsev A., Shudrak Y., Vygovskyi N., Horodetskyi A.
Affiliation: Upper gastrointestinal oncology department, National Cancer Institute, Kyiv, Ukraine
12.08 – 12.10
Discussion
12.10 – 12.18
Ten-year of french multicentric experience in the management of metastatic gastric cancer : 20965 patients
Dr Constance Laroye
Xavier Lenne
Dr Julie Veziant
Pr Guillaume Piessen
Pr Clarisse Eveno
Affiliation: Surgical oncologic department, Lille University Hospital, France
12.18 – 12.20
Discussion
12.20 – 12.28
Snus use and gastric cancer incidence: a nationwide cohort study of 4.5 million adults in the Swedish Tobacco Cohort (SWETOC).
Jonathan Engborg, Magnus Olsson, Hanne Tønnesen, Aron Naimi-Akbar, Johan Sundström, Jakob Hedberg
Affiliation: Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
12.28 – 12.30
Discussion
12.30 – 12.38
From Operating Room to Pathology Report: Delphi Consensus on Pathological Assessment of Peritoneal Cytology and Biopsies in Staging Laparoscopy for Gastric Cancer
Judith S.E. Quik, MD1; Micha J. de Neijs2,3; Heike I. Grabsch, MD PhD4,5; Niels A.D. Guchelaar, PhD3; Jan Erik Freund, MD PhD6; Lodewijk A.A. Brosens, MD PhD6; Lindsey Oudijk, MD PhD7,8; Marie-Louise F. van Velthuysen, MD PhD7;; Michail Doukas, MD PhD7; Petur Snaebjornsson, MD PhD9; Astrid Klooster, MD PhD10; Nienke Doddema7; Kay van den Burg9; Bas P.L. Wijnhoven, MD PhD2; Johanna W. van Sandick, MD PhD1; Sybren L. Meijer, MD PhD11, Liudmila L. Kodach, MD PhD7; on behalf of the collaborators*
Affiliation: 1Department of Surgical Oncology, the Netherlands Cancer Institute – Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
12.38 – 12.40
Discussion
12.40 – 12.48
GQ1001 and GQ1005: novel HER2-targeting ADCs with a stable ring-opening linker and site-specific LDC technology demonstrating improved safety, stability, and potent efficacy in preclinical gastric cancer models
Lei Huang 1, Gang Qin 2, Chengcheng Gong 3, Yan Shi 2, Lili Shi 2, Biyun Wang 3
Affiliation(s)
1 Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China;
2 GeneQuantum Healthcare Co., Ltd., Suzhou, China;
3 Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
12.48 – 12.50
Discussion
12.50 – 12.58
Pattern of lymph node spread in gastric cancer: A Western multicenter retrospective study
Francesca Blasa, Giuseppe Verlato, Hidde Overtoom, Martina Hermez Chole, Fabrizio Tedone, Federica Filippini, Markos Despotidis, Evgenia Mela, Tania Triantafyllou, Dimitrios Schizas, Dimitrios Theodorou, Magnus Nilsson, Suzanne Gisbertz, Maria Bencivenga Ioannis Rouvelas
Affiliation: General and Upper GI Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
12.58 -13.00
Discussion