ESMO Congress 2025: An Exceptional Experience from Berlin Through the Eyes of a Medical Student

The Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) took place from October 17 to 21, 2025, in Berlin. Every year, this congress is the most important European event in the field of clinical oncology, attracting a wide range of participants – from healthcare professionals and researchers to representatives of the pharmaceutical industry, the media, and other expert institutions. It serves as a platform for presenting the latest scientific discoveries, innovative treatment approaches, and new medicinal products that will shape the future of oncological care. This year, more than 37,000 participants from all over the world gathered in the German capital. The conference also had a special significance as it marked the 50th anniversary of the organisation, founded in 1975 and holding its first meeting in Nice.

I was able to attend the congress thanks to an extraordinary opportunity offered by ESMO. As a participant of the ESMO for Medical Students summer course in Valencia – where I was selected among 93 students from across Europe – I was granted free registration for this year’s congress in Berlin. For me, this represented a valuable continuation of the summer educational program and an opportunity to get a closer look at the world of modern clinical oncology.

The conference took place in the extensive halls of the Messe Berlin exhibition grounds. It was opened on Friday by the president of the society, Professor Fabrice André, with the congress’s keynote lecture. What followed was a rich five-day program spread across more than twenty auditoriums and lecture halls. Individual sections focused on specific tumour groups, modern diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, and the latest findings from oncological research. Each afternoon, the largest 9,000-seat auditorium hosted the Presidential Symposium, where results of key clinical trials were presented—studies expected to influence clinical practice and treatment guidelines in the coming months. Participants could also visit exhibitions of pharmaceutical companies, browse the poster section, or relax in several designated lounge areas.

A major benefit for me was attending workshops and educational lectures organised by the ESMO Young Oncologists Committee (YOC), to which we were invited as alumni of the summer course in Valencia. These sessions focused on challenges young oncologists frequently encounter early in their careers – such as finding a mentor, basics of biostatistics, clinical case discussions, principles of clinical trials, and an introduction to medical genomics. I greatly appreciated the openness and willingness of all lecturers, with whom we were able to speak personally after each session and gain valuable professional advice.

I was also deeply impressed by the exceptional level of organisation throughout the event. Despite the enormous number of participants and the venue's scale, everything ran smoothly and clearly. Attendees could also follow lectures online through the ESMO mobile application, which proved especially useful when individual halls reached full capacity. Shortly after the conference ended, recordings of all lectures and accompanying materials were made available to ESMO members. A special highlight was the entire lecture block devoted to the use of artificial intelligence tools in clinical practice and research.

In conclusion, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Faculty of Medicine at Masaryk University for its support and for providing me with the opportunity to attend this exceptional conference. I am taking away a wealth of new professional knowledge, valuable experience, and new contacts. It was wonderful to reconnect with the students and physicians from the summer course.

Jakub Henzl, a fifth-year General Medicine student