Patient Advocacy

This event offers valuable learning experiences for both patient advocates and healthcare professionals, focusing on taboo subjects, diversity in patient-based research, and shared decision-making. Don't miss out on this opportunity to engage, learn, and connect!

The Patient Office has developed a series of diverse, cutting-edge roundtable sessions for Patient Advocacy Day at EAU26, Friday the 13th of March 2026.

Patient Advocacy Day will follow the structure below:

• Patient Poster session with Top 3 Awards, chaired by Jacqueline Daly (IE) and Robert Greene (NL)
• Roundtable #1: BALANCE - Our Journey So Far, chaired by Denzil James (UK)
• Roundtable #2: Penile Cancer - The Impact on Mental Health and Intimacy, chaired by Robert Cornes (UK)
• Roundtable #3: Shared Decision-Making in Kidney Cancer - Insights from Global Patient Data and Clinical Practice, chaired by Claudia Ungarelli (IT)
• Roundtable #4: Sleep Deprivation in Urology Patients, chaired by Anna De Santis (IT)

You can read more about the roundtables below.

Friday, 13th March 2026

09:45 - 10:45: Roundtable #1: BALANCE - Our Journey So Far, chaired by Denzil James (UK) 

• The BALANCE study focuses on better understanding how prostate cancer impacts Black men of African and Caribbean ancestry, as well as men of mixed ethnic backgrounds.  
• The roundtable will take an in-depth look perspectives from Suriname, Latin America and the UK. The Consortium's recent trip to Sierra Leone will also be discussed, along with health equity insights, finishing with a Q + A session.

Speakers: Denzil James, Chas Warning, Manuel Caitano Maia, Tina Davies, Lindsay Thompson and Natalia Norori.

11:00 - 12:00: Roundtable #2: Penile Cancer - The Impact on Mental Health and Intimacy, chaired by Robert Cornes (UK)

• This roundtable will discuss patient-led insights and clinical perspectives on mental health, body image and intimacy in penile cancer care, as well as quality of life issues.
• We will also look at how penile cancer affects relationships and intimacy, with a focus on psychosexual support in improving care.

Speakers: Robert Cornes, John Osborne, Maarten Albersen, Richard Lagden, Patrick Meehan, Ruth Meehan and Camille Roumieux.

13:00 - 14:00: Roundtable #3: Shared Decision-Making in Kidney Cancer - Insights from Global Patient Data and Clinical Practice, chaired by Claudia Ungarelli (IT)

• This session will unpack the clinician's role in improving SDM in kidney cancer, and will finish with a dedicated Q+A session.

Speakers: Claudia Ungarelli and Riccardo Campi.

14:15 - 15:15: Roundtable #4: Sleep Deprivation in Urology Patients, chaired by Anna De Santis (IT)

• We will look into the effects of sleep deprivation in urology patients, as well as behavioural sleep medicine.
• We will hear from both the patient and clinical perspective on the topics of nocturia, incontinence and sleep disruption.

Speakers: Anna De Santis, Hugh Selsick, Therese Kelly and Luce Brett.

15:30 - 16:30: Roundtable #5: Shared Decisions, Stronger Care - Addressing Clinician Needs Across Europe, chaired by Michael van Balken

• Here we will hear from the World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition (WBCPC) on strengthening Shared Decision Making (SDM) in Bladder Cancer.
• We will also hear primary care insights from WONCA Europe, as well as the Hungarian, Greek and Polish perspectives on clinician needs, barriers, opportunities, and improving Shared Decision Making.

Speakers: Michael van Balken, Alex Filicevas, Josep Vialseca, Bálint Dér and Michael van Balken.

To view the programme in full, click here.

Free Congress registration is available only to registered patient advocates. Read more about EAU Patient Advocate Membership here.

EAU Patient Advocacy Membership
If you are involved in an official organisation that represents patients and are interested in becoming an EAU member, you may be eligible for our Patient Advocacy Membership. This membership offers several benefits, including free access to the annual EAU Congress as well as free access to EAU Webinars and Podcasts.

Travel grant
Patient advocates are also eligible to apply for a €500 travel grant.

• A letter is required stating why you want to attend the congress. The letter needs to be on the Patient Advocacy organisation’s official letterhead that you are associated with.
• You must agree to submit a post-congress report, describing your congress experience and areas for improvement.
• To be eligible for the travel grant, you must hold EAU Patient Advocate Membership.
• Applications are accepted on a first come, first served.
• Application deadline is Wednesday, 31st December 2025.

To apply please send us an email.

Submissions for the Patient Advocacy abstracts are now closed.

Best of luck to those who submitted.

Please note that due to regulations governing medical events, patients themselves cannot attend EAU26.

Don’t miss out on the EAU Patient Advocacy Plaza – a vibrant hub to connect with the EAU Patient Advocacy Group (EPAG). It’s the perfect place to exchange experiences, meet colleagues, and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea.

At the centre of the Plaza, the theatre will once again host a series of 30-minute sessions on Saturday and Sunday, featuring a variety of voices from across the urological community.

The EAU Patient Office was established in 2021 and is made of two components:

1. Patient Information
2. Patient Advocacy

EAU Patient Information
EAU Patient Information collaborates with healthcare professionals such as urologists, oncologists, uro-pathologists, nurses, as well as patient representatives.
Want to learn more? Visit: EAU Patient Information website

EAU Patient Advocacy
The EAU Patient Advocacy Group (EPAG) consists of a number of patient organisations, each of whom present the collective needs and interests of their patient community.
Want to learn more? Visit: patients.uroweb.org/patient-advocacy

Contact
EAU Patient Office
PO Box 30016, 6803 AA Arnhem
The Netherlands
T +31 (0)26 389 0680

Website: patients.uroweb.org
Twitter: @EAUPatient
Facebook: @EAUPatientInformation
BlueSky: ‪@eaupatient.bsky.social

If you have any questions specific to the Patient-Focused Sessions, please contact us via email at info.patientinformation@uroweb.org