BRAIN TUMOURS: THE PADUA MASTERCLASS IN NEURO-ONCOLOGY 2026
On 22 June 2026, at the Auditorium San Gaetano in Padua, the Padua Masterclass in Neuro-Oncology 2026 takes place — an international educational event dedicated to advances in the management of primary brain tumours: glioblastoma, low-grade gliomas, and meningiomas. A full day of high-intensity scientific updates, with speakers from Harvard, Zurich, Heidelberg, and Italy’s leading centres. Glioblastoma.it ODV will be attending, as part of our ongoing commitment to being where science happens — so we can bring the latest developments back to our community: patients, families, caregivers.
The masterclass is coordinated by Giuseppe Lombardi, Luca Denaro, Marco Krengli, Maurizio Corbetta, and Franco Chioffi, and is structured around four thematic sessions covering the full spectrum of clinical neuro-oncology.
The morning opens with a session on tumour biology and molecular profiling, featuring a keynote lecture by Felix Sahm of Heidelberg University on the updated WHO classification of central nervous system tumours — a pivotal update, because it significantly changes how tumours are identified and, consequently, treated. The session also covers glucose metabolism and treatment resistance, and the emerging role of connectomics in neurosurgical oncology, presented by Silvio Sarubbo.
The second session focuses on high-grade gliomas, and glioblastoma in particular. The keynote is delivered by Patrick Wen of Harvard Medical School, offering a transatlantic perspective on future directions. Further talks will address the integration of surgery and oncological therapies, radiotherapy combined with systemic treatments, targeted therapies — with the direct question: are we really making a difference? — and current standards alongside ongoing clinical trials, with Giuseppe Lombardi. The morning closes with another high-profile keynote: Michael Weller of the University of Zurich, one of Europe’s most authoritative voices on glioblastoma.
In the afternoon, the third session turns to low-grade gliomas: extensive surgery, IDH inhibitors and precision approaches, and the role of PET/MR in assessing response in patients treated with anti-IDH agents. The day closes with a session on meningiomas, anchored by a keynote from Emilie Le Rhun of the University of Zurich on systemic advances.
For those who follow glioblastoma.it, some of the topics on the programme will be familiar — we have covered them in previous articles, from vorasidenib to IDH inhibitors, from molecular classification to adaptive radiotherapy. But events like this matter because science does not happen only in laboratories: it happens in exchanges, in conversations between clinicians from different countries, in the questions speakers ask one another. The interactive panel discussions scattered throughout the day are often where the most candid assessments of where things really stand tend to emerge.
The masterclass is open to all and conducted in English: www.events-communication.com/event/masterclass2026. For us, it will also be an opportunity for direct dialogue with some of the clinicians and researchers who most shape the evolution of care for these tumours in Italy and across Europe. As always, what we learn we bring back here, in accessible form, for those who need it.
If you are facing a glioblastoma or a brain tumour — you, a family member, a friend — the Speranza e Coraggio Project is here for that. You can reach us at info@glioblastomamultiforme.it or call us at +39 335 1272678.
