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 annual congress in Europe. Both attract international audiences and frequently debut practice-changing trial results.
EANO's meeting record lists annual gatherings from 2018, with 2020 postponed. Its calendar lists Rome for September 24–27, 2026, and Athens for September 16–19, 2027. SNO announces its 31st Annual Meeting & Education Day in Philadelphia on November 12–15, 2026, and an EANO-SNO paediatric meeting in Miami on June 24–26, 2027. Earlier entries list Turin in 2014 and Mannheim/Heidelberg in 2016.
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.
A 2026 Korean Brain Tumor Society historical review also records its hosting of WFNOS in Seoul in 2022.
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.