September and October: a month between uro-oncology and AI

After the summer came a few very busy weeks, between urological cancer and artificial intelligence (AI). Here is a short summary, with links to the official programmes.

By Dr. Mario Domínguez Esteban, urologist (registration no. 392860199). Head of the Uro-Oncology Section, Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital.Published: 12 Oct 2026 · Last reviewed: 12 Oct 2026

What happened

17 September · GUARD International Symposium (Madrid). I gave a talk on applying AI to the early diagnosis of prostate cancer, which opened the panel on AI in uro-oncology: integrating it with MRI, assessing biopsies and understanding reports. The meeting is organised by GUARD Consortium, a research group on urological tumours. Programme ↗
24 and 25 September · Preceptorship at Valdecilla. Together with medical oncologist Ignacio Durán, I organised the course «Preceptorship: Valor del abordaje multidisciplinar en tumores urológicos» (the value of a multidisciplinary approach to urological tumours) at Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, for urologists, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists. It was the first edition.
30 September · SEOM2026 congress (Madrid). In the bladder and kidney cancer session of the congress of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), I took part in the debate «¿Estamos preparados para abandonar la cistectomía radical en cáncer urotelial músculo infiltrante?» (are we ready to give up radical cystectomy in muscle-invasive urothelial cancer?). I argued for the role of radical cystectomy, the operation that removes the bladder. Programme (PDF, in Spanish) ↗
30 September · Grant for the SAICaP Project. SAICaP, for which I am the principal investigator, has received a care-quality grant in prostate cancer (Beca de Calidad Asistencial en Cáncer de Próstata, 5th edition) from Bayer and Orion Pharma, managed by IDIVAL. It is a care-quality improvement project, not a study: a digital follow-up in which patients with advanced prostate cancer answer short questionnaires, and a system of clinical rules alerts the team to the cases that need attention sooner. It does not replace the doctor's assessment. Announcement by Bayer (LinkedIn) ↗

Grant award ceremony, 30 September.
9 October · V GO NORTE International GU Debates (Limpias, Cantabria). Together with Pablo Maroto, I chaired the session on high-risk localised kidney cancer. The meeting is organised by GO Norte, a genitourinary oncology group from northern Spain. Programme ↗

In between, I have kept publishing readings of studies, such as the one on AI in prostate MRI.

In pictures

Mario Domínguez Esteban standing on the stage of the GUARD International Symposium 2026 in Madrid, during his talk on applying AI to the early diagnosis of prostate cancer — GUARD International Symposium, Madrid, 17 September. Photo: GUARD Consortium.

SEOM2026 congress speaker badge in the name of Mario Domínguez Esteban — Speaker badge at the SEOM2026 congress, Madrid.

Mario Domínguez Esteban speaking in front of the slide for session 5, high-risk localised kidney cancer, at the GO Norte GU Debates in Limpias — Session on high-risk localised kidney cancer, GO Norte GU Debates, Limpias, 9 October.

What comes next

13 October: update on AI for hospital at home.
21 and 22 October: basic and advanced masterclass on AI for prostate cancer experts, sponsored by Bayer.
22 October: talk on AI applied to prostate cancer, in a programme organised by Ipsen.
30 October: speaker at Side by Side, by Astellas, in Madrid.

Some of the activities in this note are sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry. My conflicts of interest are listed under Transparency.

This information does not replace a consultation with your doctor.