From 3 May until 6 May 2019, the urology community looked to Chicago where the 114th American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting took place. The combination of an outstanding scientific programme, motivated delegates and a convenient conference layout resulted in a highly educational and interactive meeting with a broad scope to satisfy the wide-ranging professional interests of attendees.

Several new findings regarding prostate cancer care were among the highlights of AUA2019. The increasing range of available tracers and applications for prostate cancer PET imaging — a technique with particular utility in high-risk and advanced disease — was considered at a plenary panel discussion. In addition, the all-day International Prostate Forum session included highly informative talks on the costs and economics of various diagnosis and management strategies and the latest data on radiotherapy for prostate cancer. Another plenary session highlighted disparities in prostate cancer care for African American men, which occur along the whole treatment continuum and result in poor outcomes. The meeting also featured the presentation of the AUA’s first clinical guideline for diagnosis and treatment of testicular cancer, which focuses on early-stage disease.

The research programme of this year’s AUA meeting featured interesting sessions on sex differences in urological health and disease and on the increasingly recognized roles of microbes in the urinary tract, specifically in prostate and bladder diseases, in both inflammatory processes and cancer. Another increasingly acknowledged topic was featured through several studies that examined the burden on the emotional and mental health of patients with urological disease, ranging from male factor infertility to effects of androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer.

a highly educational and interactive meeting with a broad scope to satisfy the wide-ranging professional interests of attendees

Undoubtedly, meeting the therapy dogs of the Canine Therapy Corps (courtesy of the Urology Care Foundation) was another highlight for many AUA2019 delegates.