XXXII Porto Cancer Meeting
Bridging Research and Policy in Hereditary Cancer
a Joint Conference with the Horizon Europe Preventable project
22nd - 24th April 2026 | i3S and SuperBock Arena – Pavilhão Rosa Mota, Porto, Portugal
The Porto Cancer Meeting
It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the XXXII Edition of the Porto Cancer Meeting. This renowned international meeting has been organized since 1990 by the Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, well-known as Ipatimup.
The Porto Cancer Meeting is now a flagship meeting of the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health – i3S – the largest health research institute in Portugal. This scientific event will be part of the celebrations of the 10th Anniversary of i3S, highlighting a decade of scientific excellence, collaboration, and impact.
The XXXII Porto Cancer Meeting Theme in 2026
This Porto Cancer Meeting will be dedicated to heritable cancers, lying at the interface between basic research and real-world applications in the form of health policies.
Hereditary cancers are less common than sporadic cancers, tend to develop at a younger age, and often impact multiple family members, posing significant social, clinical, and economic challenges. They require specialized and multidisciplinary care, because prevention and treatment can be complex. However, as these cancers are caused by inherited genetic changes, genetic testing can identify the underlying risk. This enables proactive monitoring, early diagnosis, and application of preventive and more personalized measures, as well as targeted treatments.
To discuss challenges and opportunities in the field of inherited cancers, the XXXII Porto Cancer Meeting scientific program in 2026 will revolve around the genetics and biology of these cancers, their distinctive clinical pathways of care, social intricacies, and cost of healthcare for patients, hospitals and the society as a whole. This year, the Porto Cancer Meeting will embrace the final conference of the EU-funded project Preventable [www.preventable.eu], which has established pathways of care from several rare tumour risk syndromes, their respective costs and cost-effectiveness, as well as guidelines to improve communication between the various stakeholders moving around this ecosystem.
A special flavour brought in by the Preventable project into the Porto Cancer Meeting, is the presence of patients and families suffering from rare tumour risk syndromes, from many European countries, which have actively participated in the project, further extending the real impact of this event.
The meeting is expected to bring together patients, Healthcare Professionals, Scientists working in Basic and Clinical aspects of heritable cancers, Health Economics and Social Sciences, as well as Policy Officers and Health Managers from the European Health Management Association – EHMA, Decision-makers from Europe, and beyond. It will also mark the launch of the ‘Preventable Learning Hub’, a novel online resource of educational contents, designed specifically for at-risk individuals and their families, but also for healthcare providers and policymakers, integrating expert perspectives, real-life testimonies, visual infographics and guidelines, to promote knowledge, better decision-making, and evidence-based practices.
This joint conference between the Porto Cancer Meeting and the Preventable project will start at the i3S, in the afternoon of the 22nd of April 2026, with a welcome to participants by the Organizers and the i3S, a keynote lecture and a Porto d’Honra, as part of the celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the i3S.
The conference will continue on the 23rd of April, at the Super Bock Arena Conference Centre, in the heart of Porto, for another two days, and till the end of the 24th of April.
The program is designed to attract a diverse range of participants to foster multidisciplinary discussions that advance the field and support sustainable, resilient health systems for individuals at high risk of cancer. The joint Conference serves as a platform for renowned researchers, professionals, and patients to discuss recent advances in hereditary cancer research, disease management, healthcare costs, and prevention and treatment strategies.
Centred around the theme “Bridging Research and Policy in Hereditary Cancer Prevention and Care,” the XXXII Porto Cancer Meeting emphasizes the urgent need for innovative, scalable solutions to ensure accessible, equitable, and sustainable care for patients with tumour risk syndromes across Europe.
The long-term goal is to move beyond simply managing these rare patients, to actively shape disease prevention, early diagnosis, and healthcare resilience at all levels, supported by forefront scientific discoveries, that allows moving from ‘one solution fits all’ to ‘patient-centred care settings’.
The Organizing Committee looks forward to welcome all participants and patients to the historic and vibrant city of Porto, a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Carla Oliveira
Conference Chair, on behalf of the Organizing Committee
Venue
The meeting will be held at i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde on 22nd April:
Rua Alfredo Allen, 208; 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
The meeting will be held at Super Bock Arena on 23rd and 24th April:
Jardins do Palácio de Cristal, R. de D. Manuel II Porta 03, 4050-346 Porto
Organization
Local Organizing Committee
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Carla Oliveira i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto, Portugal |
Sara Pereira i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto, Portugal |
Liliana Sousa i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto, Portugal |
Silvana Lobo i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto, Portugal |
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Daniel Ferreira i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto, Portugal |
Nuno Marcos Ipatimup - Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Portugal |
Ana Gomes Ipatimup - Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Portugal |
Igor Lopes Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação, Portugal
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Sérgio Oliveira European Health Management Association, Belgium |
Bárbara Peleteiro Unidade Local de Saúde de São João (ULSSJ), Portugal |
Scientific Committee
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Joan Brunet Catalan Institute of Oncology, Spain |
Carla Oliveira i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto, Portugal |
Céu Mateus Lancaster University, UK |
Marta Marques Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública; Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal |
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Alexis Strader European Health Managment Association, Belgium |
Judith Balmaña Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology, Spain |
Ricardo Amorim i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto, Portugal |
Tamara Milagre EVITA Patients Association, Portugal |
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Nicoline Hoogerbrugge European Reference Network GENTURIS, The Netherlands |
Susana Sampaio Oliveira Faculdade Economia da Universidade do Porto, Portugal |
Joana Paredes i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto, Portugal |
Sandra Tavares i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto, Portugal |
Program
Preliminary Program
Day 1 | Wednesday, April 22
Venue: i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, University of Porto
15:00 - 15:30 Registration
15:30 - 16:00 Opening Session - Auditoria Mariano Gago (main) & Corino de Andrade
Chairs: Carla Oliveira & Tamara Milagre
Porto Cancer Meeting & Ipatimup
Manuel Sobrinho Simões, Director of Ipatimup, PT
Porto Cancer Meeting & i3S
Claudio Sunkel, Director of i3S, PT
The Preventable project - a real-world data opportunity
Carla Oliveira, Chair Porto Cancer Meeting & Coordinator PREVENTABLE
16:15 - 18:15 Keynote Session I - Auditoria Mariano Gago (main) & Corino de Andrade
Chair: Carla Oliveira
16:15 - 17:15 Keynote Lecture 1: Rationale for Investing in Healthcare for Patients at High Risk of Cancer
Nicoline Hoogerbrugge, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen & ERN Genturis former Coordinator, NL
PREVENTABLE Learning Hub - A clinical story – PHTS (video)
17:15 - 18:15 Round table: From Health Research to Policy: closing the gap to enhance inherited cancer care
Panel Moderator
Teresa Firmino, Science Editor of Jornal Público, PT
Panelists
Enrique Terol, Health Counsellor, Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU
Álvaro Santos Almeida, Executive Director of NHS, PT
Nicoline Hoogerbrugge, ERN Genturis former Coordinator, NL
Carla Oliveira, PREVENTABLE Coordinator, i3S & Ipatimup, PT
Tamara Milagre, President EVITA Patient Association, PT
Alexandre Quintanilha, Coordinator 10th Anniversary of i3S, PT
19:00 - 20:30 Porto D'Honra and light dinner – i3S Hall
Day 2 | Thursday, April 23
Venue: Super Bock Arena, Porto, Portugal
08:30 - 09:00 Registration
09:00 - 10:30 Plenary Session I - Health Economics and Clinical Research - Auditorium
Chairs: Céu Mateus & Judith Balmaña
09:00 - 09:10 A clinical story – HDGC (video)
09:10 - 09:40 Addressing the cancer burden: challenges and opportunities in prevention and early detection
Liora Bowers, OECD, FR
09:40 - 10:10 Health data-driven research: impacts in cancer management and outcomes
Eva Morris, Oxford University, UK
10:10 - 10:30 Round table
Facilitator: Alexis Strader, EHMA
Participants: Céu Mateus, Liora Bowers, Judith Balmaña, Eva Morris, HDGC Patient Representative
10:30 - 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 - 12:15 Parallel Session I – Proactive Prevention, and Cancer Progression and Resistance - Auditorium
Chairs: Ana Azevedo & Alexander Sun Zhang & PHTS Patient Representative
11:00 - 11:10 A clinical story: PHTS (video)
11:10 - 11:25 SO1 - From treatment to proactive prevention in Rare Tumour Risk Syndromes: Evidences from the PREVENTABLE multicentric cohort. Sara B. Pereira, i3S, Porto, Portugal
11:25 - 11:40 SO2 - ETV6::JAK2 fusion promotes central nervous system invasion in a pre-clinical model of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Telma Costa, i3S, Porto, Portugal
11:40 - 11:55 SO3 - Macrophage-driven mechanisms of radiotherapy resistance in triple-negative breast cancer. Ana Borges, i3S, Porto, Portugal
11:55 - 12:15 Round table
Participants: Session Chairs and Session speakers
11:00 - 12:15 Parallel Session II – Preventive Care: Costs, Outcomes and Communication - Room 1
Chairs: Stefan Aretz & Katja Verbeek & PJS Patient Representative
11:00 - 11:10 A clinical story: PJS (video)
11:10 - 11:25 SO4 - Preventive management of CDH1 carriers improves survival and reduces healthcare costs: a European multicenter real-world study. Ricardo Amorim, i3S, Porto, Portugal
11:25 - 11:40 SO5 - Barriers and enablers influencing clinical teams recommendations of RTRS care pathways: A qualitative study. Susana Mourão, CHRC, NOVA Medical School, Lisbon, Portugal
11:40 - 11:55 SO6 - Healthcare cost of cancer surveillance vs. treatment in Peutz–Jeghers syndrome: Real-world evidence from the PREVENTABLE project. Amalia Nanciu, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
11:55 - 12:15 Round table
Participants: Session Chairs and Session speakers
12:15 - 13:15 Lunch
13:15 - 13:35 Corporate satellites 1 – Auditorium
Corporate satellites 2 – Room 1
13:15 - 14:30 Poster session 1 - Poster Room
13:15 - 14:30 Get2Gether 1 with patients | Genetic testing and family communication - Get2Gether Room
Chairs: Luzia Garrido & Marion Rolain & Maiara Moreto & Ana Gomes
Participants: PREVENTABLE syndromes Patients and Patient Representatives
14:30 - 15:45 Parallel Session III – Translational Advances and cost of care in TP53-Related Cancers - Auditorium
Chairs: Ricardo Amorim & Svetlana Lagercrantz & LFS Patient Representative
14:30 - 14:40 A clinical story: LFS (video)
14:40 - 14:55 SO7 - Clinical Outcomes and Cost-effectiveness of Preventive Surveillance versus Treatment in Li-Fraumeni Syndrome: Results from the European PREVENTABLE Project. Marion Rolain, Université de Rouen Normandie, Rouen, France
14:55 - 15:10 SO8 - IARC dataset curation reveals new genotype-phenotype associations in Heritable TP53-Related Cancers. Alexandre Dias, i3S, Porto, Portugal
15:10 - 15:25 SO9 - Deciphering the impact of cancer cell´s secretome and its derived peptide VGF on breast cancer brain metastasis. Rita Carvalho, i3S, Porto, Portugal
15:25 - 15:45 Round table
Participants: Session Chairs and Session speakers
14:30 - 15:45 Parallel Session IV – PHTS and Lynch syndromes: Biomarkers, Care Uptake and Costs - Room 1
Chairs: Janneke Schuurs-hoeijmakers & Cathrine Bjorvatn & PHTS Patient Representative
14:30 - 14:40 A clinical story: PHTS (video)
14:40 - 14:55 S10 - Costs of cancer prevention versus cancer treatment in PTEN Hamartoma Tumor Syndrome: EU PREVENTABLE project. Katja Verbeek, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
14:55 - 15:10 S11 - Liquid Biopsy-Based MSI Detection in Lynch Syndrome: Platform Comparison and Diagnostic Performance. Davide Ferrari, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
15:10 - 15:25 S12 - Barriers and enablers influencing patients uptake of RTRS care pathways: A qualitative study. Maiara Moreto, NOVA Medical School, Lisbon, Portugal
15:25 - 15:45 Round table
Participants: Session Chairs and Session speakers
15:45 - 16:30 Coffee Break
16:30 - 18:00 Plenary Session II – Social Sciences & Basic Research - Auditorium
Chairs: Marta Marques & Sandra Tavares & LFS Patient Representative
16:30 - 16:40 A clinical story: LFS (video)
16:40 - 17:10 Factors impacting communication between clinical teams and cancer patients
Fabiana Lorencatto, University College London, London, UK
17:10 - 17:40 The p53 Tumor Suppressor Network
Scott W. Lowe, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
17:40 - 18:00 Round table
Facilitator: Sérgio Oliveira, EHMA
Participants: Marta Marques, Sandra Tavares, Fabiana Lorencatto, Scott W Lowe, LFS Patient Representative
19:30 Conference Dinner
Day 3 | Friday, April 24
Venue: Super Bock Arena, Porto, Portugal
09:00 - 10:30 Plenary Session III – Health management & Communication - Auditorium
Chairs: Alexis Strader & Nuno Marcos & Nichole Holm & HLRCC Patient Representative
09:00 - 09:10 A clinical story: HLRCC (video)
09:10 - 09:40 Towards a Rare Diseases Strategy at Global and EU level: state of play
Enrique Terol, Health Counsellor, Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU
09:40 - 10:10 What works and why? Evidence-based cancer risk communication for shared decisions
Yasmina Okan, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain
10:10 - 10:30 Round table
Facilitator: Maral Aghababai, EHMA
Participants: Alexis Strader, Nichole Holm, Enrique Terol, Yasmina Okan, HLRCC Patient Representative
10:30 - 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 - 12:15 Parallel Session V – When early is too late: killing cancers - Auditorium
Chairs: Amalia Nanciu & Andrew Titman & HLRCC Patient Representative
11:00 - 11:10 A clinical story: HLRCC (video)
11:10 - 11:25 S13 - Real-world data to evaluate care pathways and costs in hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer syndrome: PREVENTABLE study. Laura Duran-Lozano, VHIO Vall d'Hebron Institut d’Oncologia, Barcelona, Spain
11:25 - 11:40 S14 - Pancreatic enhancer deletion drives acinar cell plasticity and neoplastic transformation through chromatin remodeling. Marta Duque, i3S, Porto, Portugal
11:40 - 11:55 S15 - Cost-effectiveness modelling in rare tumour risk syndromes (RTRS) - results and challenges. Céu Mateus, Lancaster University, UK
11:55 - 12:15 Round table
Participants: Session Chairs and Session speakers
11:00 - 12:15 Parallel Session VI – Melanoma and Blood Cancers: Risks, Care Costs and Outcomes - Room 1
Chairs: Hildegunn Vetti & Laura Duran & FM Patient Representative
11:00 - 11:10 A clinical story: FM (video)
11:10 - 11:25 S16 - Familial Melanoma: an Evaluation of clinical outcome and healthcare costs in the EU PREVENTABLE project. Birte Lundhaug, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
11:25 - 11:40 S17 - Atypical Cases of POT1 Tumor Predisposition Syndrome - Multicentric Report. Isabel Serra Nunes, Centro de Genética Médica Dr. Jacinto Magalhães, Porto, Portugal
11:40 - 11:55 S18 - Thymopoiesis and thymic structural alterations after T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma regression. Juliana Cunha, i3S, Porto, Portugal
11:55 - 12:15 Round table
Participants: Session Chairs and Session speakers
12:15 - 13:15 Lunch
13:15 - 14:30 Poster session 2 - Poster Room
13:15 - 14:30 Get2Gether 2 with patients | Financial burden and Social stigma - Get2Gether Room
Chairs: Nuno Ribeiro & Carolina di Fabrizio & Liliana Sousa & Vitor Neves
Participants: PREVENTABLE syndromes Patients and Patient Representatives
14:30 - 15:45 Parallel Session VII – HDGC: Risk, Tumour Initiation and Cost-effectiveness - Auditorium
Chairs: Bárbara Peleteiro & Claude Houdayer & HDGC Patient Representative
14:30 - 14:40 A clinical story: HDGC (video)
14:40 - 14:55 S19 - Cost-effectiveness model care pathways of Rare Tumour Risk Syndrome - the case of Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer. Andrew Titman, Lancaster University, UK
14:55 - 15:10 S20 - Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer onset: a matter of extrusion imbalances driven by E-cadherin and Filamin A interactions. Soraia Melo, i3S, Porto, Portugal
15:10 - 15:25 S21 - CTNNA1 germline alterations are positively associated with hereditary diffuse gastric cancer development. Silvana Lobo, i3S, Porto, Portugal
15:25 - 15:45 Round table
Participants: Session Chairs and Session speakers
14:30 - 15:45 Parallel Session VIII – Care Pathways within and beyond Europe: Costs and Forgetfulness - Room 1
Chairs: Sara Pereira & Joan Brunet & BDHS Patient Representative
14:30 - 14:40 A clinical story: BHDS (video)
14:40 - 14:55 S22 - Clinical Impact and Healthcare Expenditure of Prevention versus Treatment in Birt-Hogg-Dubé Syndrome: Findings from the EU PREVENTABLE Project. Adriana Costal Tirado, IDIBGI-Girona Biomedical Research Institute Dr. Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain
14:55 - 15:10 S23 - Contributing to cancer equity: omics characterization and establishment of patient-derived cancer models from sub-Saharan African patients. Luisa Pereira, i3S, Porto, Portugal
15:10 - 15:25 S24 - Outcomes of distress assessment in carriers of a pathogenic variant related to Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer: a retrospective study. Paula Rodrigues, IPO, Lisbon, Portugal
15:25 - 15:45 Round table
Participants: Session Chairs and Session speakers
15:45 - 16:30 Coffee Break
16:30 - 17:30 Keynote Session II - Auditorium
Chairs: Carla Oliveira & Sara Pereira & Liliana Sousa
16:30 - 17:30 Keynote Lecture 2: Genome-Wide Liquid Biopsy for Personalized Cancer Interception
Zachariah Foda, Johns Hopkins, USA
17:45 - 18:15 Awards and Farewell - Auditorium
Manuel Sobrinho Simões, Claudio Sunkel, Carla Oliveira
Speakers
Alexandre Quintanilha, Coordinator 10th Anniversary of i3S, PT
His parents (father from the Azores, mother from Berlin) always fostered his curiosity. Spent the first 25 years of his life in Southern Africa, the following 20 years in the Bay Area, California and the last 35 in Portugal. Was lucky enough to have led numerous research groups that allowed him to share ideas with inspiring people. With a Ph.D. in theoretical physics, he quickly moved to biophysics and physiology, focusing on oxidative stress to living organisms and our understanding of Risk. Launched and ran several multidisciplinary research centers and institutes, as well as new graduate and undergraduate courses at UC Berkeley, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of Porto. Chaired several Research Committees at OECD, ESF, EU and Portugal. As a member of Parliament, he helped to consolidate knowledge-based policies.
Álvaro Santos Almeida, Executive Director of NHS, PT
Álvaro Almeida is Executive Director of the Portuguese National Health Service at DE-SNS (Direção Executiva do Serviço Nacional de Saúde). He is also Associate Professor at Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia, and Professor of Economics and Health Systems at Porto Business School. Álvaro holds a PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a master’s and first degree in Economics from Universidade do Porto.
Álvaro has expertise in health economics and healthcare management. Previously, he was a Member of the Portuguese Parliament, Porto City Councilor, President of the Regional Health Administration of the North of Portugal, President of the Portuguese Healthcare Regulatory Authority, Consultant to the Portuguese Ministry of Health, and Economist at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC. He has published in several economics and health journals and was awarded the Gold Medal for Distinguished Services for the Ministry of Health.
Enrique Terol, Health Counsellor, Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU
Enrique Terol works as Health Counsellor in the Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Union and represents the interests of Spain in the area of health.
He is MD, specialized in Family and Community Medicine, MSc and PhD in Public Health and has followed specialisation courses on healthcare management and quality of healthcare.
His professional experience includes the clinical practice, managerial positions as Medical Director and CEO of Primary and Specialised Healthcare in private and public institutions and healthcare planning. He was Deputy General Director of Quality and Health Planning of the Ministry of Health of Spain between 2004 and 2008 in charge of the development inter alia of the Spanish Strategy of ischemic heart disease, Diabetes, Mental health, Rare Diseases and Patient safety.
He worked as Health Attaché in the Spanish Permanent Representation to the EU and coordinator of the area of Health in the Spanish Presidency of the EU between 2008 and 2011. From 2011 to 2020, he worked as Seconded National Expert and as Policy officer in DG SANTE developing the legal and organisational bases for and the set-up and implementation of the European Reference Networks (ERN) for complex and rare diseases under the framework of the Directive of Cross-border Health. Between 2021 and 2022 worked as team leader in the Medical Service of the European Commission.
Since 2022 he works as Health counsellor at Spanish Permanent Representation and coordinated the health area during the Spanish Presidency of the EU in 2023.
Eva Morris, Oxford University, UK
Eva Morris is Professor of Health Data Epidemiology within the Big Data Institute and Oxford Population Health. She works in the field of health data research with a particularly strong interest in national cancer datasets. She has a portfolio of highly applied research based around the use of linked NHS datasets to investigate the management and outcome of common diseases and a particular focus on colorectal cancer.
Liora Bowers, OECD, FR
Liora Bowers is a Policy Analyst at the OECD’s Health Division, where she works in partnership with the European Commission to assess trends and developments in cancer care as part of the European Cancer Inequalities Registry. She also leads efforts on international benchmarking of cancer care quality indicators at the OECD. She has deep experience gained at leading policy research institutes in California and Israel, where she worked on issues such as health system financing, delivery system reform, and social inequalities. Liora holds a BS in International Economics from Georgetown University and an MBA and Masters in Public Health from University of California, Berkeley.
Nicoline Hoogerbrugge, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen & ERN Genturis former Coordinator, NL
Prof Nicoline Hoogerbrugge, MD, PhD, is affiliated to the Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. She is a clinical expert in hereditary cancer, with special expertise in PHTS (PTEN hamartoma tumour syndrome), hereditary breast and ovarian cancer and hereditary gastrointestinal cancer. She has initiated and chaired the European Reference Network on Genetic Tumour Risk Syndromes (ERN GENTURIS) (www.genturis.eu). Over the last 10 years, her research has mainly focused on finding more knowledge on the phenotype and cancer risks of PHTS, new genetic factors for gastrointestinal cancer and the implementation of current knowledge on hereditary cancer in daily practice.
Scott W. Lowe, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
Scott W. Lowe is Chair of the Cancer Biology and Genetics Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City and an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Lowe began his independent research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where his group made significant contributions to understanding the p53 tumor suppressor, multi-step carcinogenesis, cellular senescence, and tumor-cell drug resistance. At MSKCC, his team integrates mouse models, genetics, and genomics to explore the interactions between tumor cells and their environment. This work has led to new discoveries relating to the genetic and epigenetic drivers of cancer evolution and how cellular senescence can influence immune surveillance and be targeted therapeutically. During his career, Dr. Lowe has mentored over 80 trainees, many of whom have gone on to independent faculty positions. He has received numerous awards, including the Sidney Kimmel Scholar Award, Rita Allen Scholar Award, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Outstanding Investigator Award and G.H.A. Clowes Award, the Paul Marks Prize, and the Alfred G. Knudsen Award from the NIH. He is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Medicine, and is a Fellow of the AACR.
Tamara Hussong Milagre, EVITA Patients Association, Portugal
Tamara Hussong Milagre is a leading advocate for hereditary cancer, known for empowering patients and influencing healthcare policy in Europe. She founded and presides over EVITA Association – Hereditary Cancer, supporting Portuguese families since 2011. She serves as an ePAG representative at ERN GENTURIS, contributing to the HBOC/Prostate group and taskforces on care, education and registries. Her training includes the ESO Master Class, the EUPATI Patient Expert program and the EURORDIS Leadership School. Tamara collaborates with Infarmed and is part of the EFPIA Oncology Platform Sounding Board. She co-founded the Hereditary Cancer Syndromes group of the Portuguese Society of Oncology and contributes to PT_MedGen, the Portuguese Cancer Mission Hub and the Institute of Evidence-Based Health. Internationally, she engages in working groups on metastatic breast cancer and genomic medicine. In 2020, she received the Medal of Scientific Merit.
Teresa Firmino, Science Editor of Jornal Público, Portugal
Teresa Firmino has a degree in Mass Media Communication from Lisbon New University. She is science journalist at newspaper Público since 1992. Since 2012 is the Science editor of Público. During 2008-2009, she was fellow at the Knight Science Journalism Fellowships at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. In 2025, the American Association Cancer Research (AACR) awarded her co-author work “Farewell, my stomach” with the “June L. Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism”. In 2025, “Farewell, my stomach” was also awarded by the Portuguese Cancer League. In 2023, she received the Cultural Journalism Award by the Portuguese Society of Authors (SPA) for her work on scientific culture as science journalist. In 2017, she received the Media Ciência Viva Award, for an “exceptional work on promoting science and technology on Portuguese mass media”. She published four books of scientific dissemination (three as co-author). Her most recent book is The Future of the Planet – So Much is in Our Hands, 2020), published in Portuguese by the Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos.
Yasmina Okan, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain
Dr. Yasmina Okan is a Ramón y Cajal Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Communication at Pompeu Fabra University (Spain), where she leads the Health Communication research line. She is also a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Decision Research, University of Leeds (UK), where she was formerly Associate Professor in Behavioral Decision Making.
Dr. Okan is an internationally recognized expert in health risk perception and communication, drawing on the psychology of judgment and decision making to improve how complex medical information is conveyed to patients and the public. She has led and contributed to international projects on personal cancer risk communication and public health messaging for cancer screening, funded by agencies including Cancer Research UK, the Dutch Cancer Society and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, and has published extensively on evidence-based strategies to supported informed, shared decisions.
Zachariah Foda, Johns Hopkins, USA
Zachariah Foda, MD, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Oncology and gastroenterologist specializing in cancer prevention. He leads the Johns Hopkins Colon Cancer Risk Assessment Clinic, providing evaluations for individuals with elevated colon cancer risk. His expertise includes familial adenomatous polyposis, Lynch syndrome, juvenile polyposis, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, and other polyposis syndromes.
Dr. Foda obtained his medical and doctoral degrees at Stony Brook University. He completed internal medicine residency at Johns Hopkins and remained for fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology. He uses advanced screening and genetic testing to identify those who benefit from intensive surveillance or preventive interventions.
Dr. Foda's research focuses on liquid biopsies and cell-free DNA fragmentomes for early cancer detection, aiming to translate these technologies into personalized cancer interception strategies for patients with hereditary cancer syndromes.
Social Program
The conference dinner will at BH Foz Restaurant (Av. do Brasil 498, 4150-025 Porto) on 23rd April, at 19:30. Transportation from the meeting venue to the dinner venue will be provided by the event by bus at 19:00.
The transportation back will not be provided. However, Porto is well served with transportation by Bolt/ Uber, taxis and bus.
The participation in the dinner is subject to registration and payment.
Abstract Submission
A late abstracts call is open between 5th and 12th March (notification of acceptance will be sent until 24th March 2026). 3 slots will be available for oral presentation.
Abstract scientific review will be performed by members of the scientific committee, that are not authors in abstracts submitted to the meeting.
Candidates can select their preference for an oral or poster presentation.
Abstracts must be submitted by completing the online submission form.
Registration
Registration fee
Includes the welcome coffee and Porto D'Honra on April 22nd; coffee breaks and lunches on April 23rd-24th.
Participation in the meeting dinner requires an additional payment of €55.
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Early bird registration: 4th March 2026 Payment deadline: 4th March |
Late registration: 3rd April 2026 Payment deadline: 3rd April 2026 |
| Students** | 65€ | 85€ |
| i3S and PCCC members | 65€ | 85€ |
| ASPIC members* | 85€ | 105€ |
| Other participants | 150€ | 170€ |
* Limited to 50 participants.
** Students should enclose a letter confirming their status signed by their supervisors or other documents that prove their status.
Non-European participants will have the possibility to pay the fee using PayPal. Participants who wish to use this payment option should contact the Events Management Unit using the e-mail events@i3s.up.pt, after completing the registration.
Accommodation
Reservations are the responsibility of each participant.
Accommodation suggestions located at a maximum of 20 minute walking distance to Super Bock Arena:
Eurostars Das Artes Hotel ****
Rua do Rosário 160 164, 4050-521 Porto
Website: https://www.eurostarshotels.co.uk/eurostars-das-artes.html?referer_code=bs2gg11ww&gad_source=1
Average time: 9 minutes
Hotel HF Tuela Porto ***
R. Arquitecto Marques da Silva 200, 4150-483 Porto
Website: https://www.hfhotels.com/pt/hoteis/hf-tuela-porto-pt/
Average time: 16 minutes
HF Fénix Porto****
Rua Gonçalo Sampaio, 282, 4150-365 Porto
Website: https://www.hfhotels.com/pt/hoteis/hf-fenix-porto-pt/
Average time: 16 minutes
Hotel da Música
Mercado do Bom Sucesso, Largo Ferreira Lapa, 21 a 183, 4150-323 Porto
Website: https://www.hoteldamusica.com/pt-pt/
Average time: 18 minutes
Hotel Moon & Sun Porto****
R. de Sá de Noronha 70, 4050-526 Porto
Website: https://www.moonandsun.pt/
Average time: 18 minutes
Sponsors
Scientific Sponsorship
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
Other
Information
More information:
Events Management Unit | Rua Alfredo Allen 208 | 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
Email: events@i3s.up.pt | Tel: +351 226 074 900
