Carlo Ratto, Associate Professor in General Surgery at the Catholic University of Rome and Chief of the Proctology Unit at the Foundation University Hospital "A. Gemelli" in Rome, Italy, will lead the hands-on course 'AIN and HRA for Colorectal Surgeons' on Tuesday 24th September in Vienna ahead of the main ESCP Scientific Meeting.
The course provides an introduction to AIN diagnosis and treatment procedures and will explore the benefits from offering anal cancer screenings. Although it is not a certification course, it will offer professional development and new insights to those who are interested in this topic, and is specifically designed for surgeons.
Although HPV-related anal diseases - condyloma, anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) - dysplasia, anal carcinoma - are very frequently observed by coloproctologists, Ratto believes a lack of experience and confidence around these particular clinical conditions is still relatively widespread, particularly in relation to early diagnosis.
Ratto explains why an educational focus on this topic is so beneficial:
"Colorectal surgeons often treat such instances without following specific guidelines, and, frequently, they may worry about the real effectiveness of their therapeutic strategy."
To help colleagues improve their knowledge and therefore confidence around this challenge, Ratto devised and held a pre-congress course titled: “AIN and HRA for Colorectal Surgeons” at ESCP Nice 2018. It provided a hands-on session using high-resolution anoscopy (HRA), which is considered to be the gold-standard in diagnosis today of HPV-related diseases. It also simultaneously acts as an effective in-office tool to treat the early stages of anal dysplasia.
Ratto adds:
"Given the necessity to improve knowledge around this topic and the interest demonstrated by colorectal surgeons, it made sense to continue these workshop sessions.
"Attendees will learn about the occurrence of benign, pre-malignant and malignant anal lesions and the required diffuse practice in diagnosis and treatment of these conditions. The course will also look at the epidemiology and pathology of HPV infection and the principles of anal cancer screening to understand the diagnostic value of anal cytology, histology and HRA. This will help delegates to better understand the appropriate treatment and management options for AIN and anal cancer in order to evaluate the prevention options for HPV-related diseases."
ESCP is delighted to host Professor Ratto’s 'AIN and HRA for Colorectal Surgeons' course at its annual conference.
AIN and HRA for Colorectal Surgeons will run from 08:30 to 17:00 on Tuesday 24 September at ESCP Vienna 2019. The fee is €300 ESCP Member / €400 Non-Member. Members are advised to book their place ASAP, as spaces are limited.
Professor Ratto will also lead a segment entitled: ‘High resolution anoscopy (HRA)’ as part of our Trainee Video Session 2 on Thursday 26 September at 09:35 - 11:05.