Highlights from SfE BES 2017

In November 2017, endocrinologists from around the world gathered in Harrogate, UK, for the Society for Endocrinology's annual meeting (SfE BES 2017).

The first day of the conference included a lively debate between Abd Tahrani (University of Birmingham, UK) and Roy Taylor (Newcastle University, UK) on whether food taxation is required to address the obesity epidemic in the UK. At the beginning of the session, a vote revealed that the majority of attendees felt that food taxation was required; however, by the end of the session many people had changed their minds, with the majority voting that food taxation was not required. Questions from the floor suggest that the situation is quite complex — food taxation alone is not sufficient, but needs to be combined with other measures such as changes to urban planning, public transport and education.

Andrew Hattersley (University of Exeter, UK) gave this year's Dale Medal plenary lecture. Hattersley outlined how clinicians are beginning to see more atypical patients presenting with diabetes mellitus; patients who are young and obese or older and lean. He set out how a combination of tests, including genetic tests, are now needed to ensure that patients receive the correct diagnosis, and thus the correct treatment.

In the 'sex hormones through the ages' session, it was standing room only while Mary Ann Lumsden (University of Glasgow, UK) discussed the NICE menopause guidelines. Symptom relief can be crucial to the quality of life of women going through menopause. Although the risk:benefit ratio is complex, Lumsden concluded that hormone replacement therapy will help the right women; however, clinicians need to ensure that their patients are well informed of the risks and benefits.

On the final day of the meeting, Martin Schlumberger (Institut Gustave Roussy, France) gave an excellent plenary lecture on the treatment of refractory differentiated thyroid cancer. Although adverse effects are common with lenvatinib, it remains the first-line therapy in these patients, pending the development of more effective therapies.

SfE BES 2017 was a very enjoyable meeting, and I look forward to SfE BES 2018, which will be in Glasgow, UK.