How the Neuro-Oncology Calendar Works

Neuro-oncology runs on a rhythm of recurring scientific meetings. Understanding that calendar helps trainees and patients alike make sense of when new findings appear and how the field stays connected.

Regional meetings

Across Asia, the regional neuro-oncology meeting has historically rotated among host countries each year, giving local communities a turn to lead and spreading participation widely. Regional meetings are where early-career researchers often present their first work and where region-specific questions — access to imaging, radiotherapy capacity, paediatric care — get airtime they might not receive at larger global congresses.

Continental societies

Two large continental societies anchor much of the calendar. The Society for Neuro-Oncology holds a major annual scientific meeting in North America, and the European Association of Neuro-Oncology convenes a large biennial congress in Europe. Both attract international audiences and frequently debut practice-changing trial results.

The world congress

Every few years, the World Federation of Neuro-Oncology Societies coordinates a quadrennial world congress that brings the regional and continental communities together in one place. These world meetings have, on occasion, been co-hosted with a regional gathering — as happened when the Asian meeting joined the world congress in Yokohama in 2009 — knitting the global community more tightly together.

Why meetings still matter

In an era of instant online publication, it is fair to ask why in-person meetings persist. The answer is that science is social. Tumour boards, trial collaborations, and mentorships form in hallways and over coffee, not only in journals. Meetings also compress a year's progress into a few days, helping busy clinicians prioritize what to read. For the journals where that progress is ultimately recorded, see key publications; for the societies that organize these gatherings, see useful links.