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International Rectal Cancer Meeting 2026

Date: 22 May 2026 - 23 May 2026

Country: Portugal

Venue: Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown

Address: Avenida de Brasília, 1400-038, Lisbon

Further information: https://www.fchampalimaud.org/events/international-rectal-cancer-meeting

International Rectal Cancer Meeting 2026 banner

ESCP Supported

50 Years of Total Mesorectal Excision: Celebrating the Legacy of Bill Heald

Fifty years ago, Total Mesorectal Excision (TME) transformed rectal cancer surgery, improving local control, survival and quality of life worldwide.

The International Rectal Cancer Meeting 2026 will bring leading experts together to mark this milestone and explore what lies ahead. The programme will address:

  • Recent innovations in rectal cancer: advanced MRI, robotics, artificial intelligence, functional outcomes and complete response;
  • The evolving role of non-surgical treatment: radiotherapy, chemo-/immunotherapy, total neoadjuvant treatment and 'watch & wait' strategies;
  • The full spectrum of TME surgery, from open, laparoscopic and robotic techniques to abdominoperineal approaches and TaTME;
  • Outcomes in the TME era, including practice-changing clinical trials, GRECCAR studies, stoma decisions, anastomotic techniques, pelvic exenteration and long-term function.

At its core, the meeting honours Professor Bill Heald’s legacy, a simple yet revolutionary concept that established TME as a reproducible gold standard and saved thousands of lives.

More information and programme here >