IASGO stands for the International Association of Surgeons, Gastroenterologists, and Oncologists that was founded in 1988 and today, has more than 1700 members from over 90 countries worldwide.

The mission of this organization is the globalization of medical knowledge and expertise through a well-structured system of continued medical education. IASGO believes that medical knowledge and expertise belong to every human being and that it has to be available beyond any discrimination, based on individual, institutional, or national level, to every patient that strives for survival because of challenging and life-threatening diseases.
We are currently experiencing an era of transition with significant innovations. Exciting scientific and technological advances are changing all areas of our lives. The recent emergency linked to the pandemic from COVID-19 has inevitably played the role of an accelerator by increasing society’s focus on health issues. As a result, new technologies and medical therapies are emerging for many diseases.
At the IASGO 2023, we will discuss recent developments in surgical oncology to improve patient care and quality standards. Molecular biology and biotechnology are also revolutionizing medicine. The management of cancers is changing through the characterization of tumor molecular biological profiles using next-generation sequencing. The future of medicine is increasingly taking shape with the latest discoveries in genetics that enable promising new directions in oncological therapies.
Understanding the specific disease in each cancer patient evoked a paradigm shift in oncology and is now opening new horizons in diagnostics and therapeutics. Progress is being made in the development of molecularly targeted therapy. Precision medicine aims to design and optimize the pathway for early diagnosis, assess prognosis, and tailor therapeutic interventions. Furthermore, artificial intelligence algorithms can now successfully predict the risk of cancers and gastrointestinal diseases.

More and more evidence suggests that lifestyle plays a fundamental role in well-being and patients’ health. Normal body weight and constant physical activity prevent gastrointestinal, metabolic, and neoplastic diseases and manage their presence. Likewise, proper nutrition counteracts chemotherapy’s side effects and helps faster recovery after surgery as demonstrated in the gudilenes of the ERAS Socieity with which IASGO cooperates.
The newly established IASGO multidisciplinary clinical trials consortium for the treatment of oncological diseases seeks to improve diagnossis and increase treatment feasibility and efficacy. It also aims to make the available treatments more accessible, improves patients’ quality of life and compliance with therapies and follow-up, and thus optimize the use of resources.

Last but not least, sustainability is becoming increasingly important in medicine and healthcare. Physicians need to be aware of eco-friendly solutions that provide high-quality care to patients while lowering costs and reducing environmental impact. Prevention, telemedicine counseling, training, and expanding healthcare coverage equitably should be the way forward.
For all these reasons and more, please join us at the upcoming IASGO Congress held at the Palazzo Della Gran Guardia in Verona between 9-12 September 2023. Verona is a spectacular city, a key part of Italian history, a symbol of art and culture in the world, and a recognized UNESCO heritage. We look forward to seeing you at this celebration of the latest medical and scientific advancements in GI cancer treatment during the IASGO 34th World Congress in the beautiful and traditional city of Verona.