PONCAP (Finalized National Project on prostate cancer) represents the first experience of multidisciplinary collaboration in the uro-oncology field. PONCAP was officially established in 1981 as national operating force to promote the multidisciplinary collaboration in the uro-oncology field.
Starting from this experience a group of specialists from different branches of medicine, mainly urologists, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists, founded the Italian Society of Uro-Oncology, SIUrO, in 1990. SIUrO is still the unique multidisciplinary society that is active in the field of neoplastic diseases of urologic interest.
The Founder Members Francesco Boccardo (oncologist), Mario Cappellini (radiation therapist), Franco Di Silverio (urologist), Luciano Giuliani (urologist), Giuseppe Martorana (urologist), Alberto Pellegrini (oncologist), Giorgio Pizzocaro (urologist), Salvatore Rocca Rossetti (urologist), Leonardo Santi (oncologist), Enzo Usai (urologist) and Vito Vitale (radiation therapist) were aimed at promoting the application of multidisciplinarity in the management of patients suffering from urologic tumors to promote the growth of a ‘new’ specialist who while working in its original branch of medicine at the same time aims to break the attitudinal, cultural and operational barriers of its branch to develop specific interest and skills in the field of urologic diseases.
The unsectarian nature and the multidisciplinary structure deprive SIUrO of “trade-union” values exalting, by contrast, the cultural and promotional features of its action.
This provides the basis for the overcoming of all possible contrasts caused by the different academic and professional roles of the members and it is the premise of a fruitful collaboration with other scientific societies.
The following presidents Luciano Giuliani (1990-1993), Michele Pavone (1993-1996), Giorgio Pizzocaro (1996-1999), Francesco Boccardo (1999-2002), Giuseppe Martorana (2002-2005, 2009-), Raffaele Tenaglia (2005-2008) and the Steering Committees have always remained faithful to this philosophy. In fact, according to the statute, the Steering Committees must include professionals from branches of medicine different from urology, with interest in urologic tumors.
Until 2002 the main activity of SIUrO was focused on the organization of the national meeting whose main feature has always been to maintain most sessions plenary in order to promote the open discussion among the professionals of different disciplines of medicine.
From 2003 up to now SIUrO has developed training courses (advanced courses in uro-oncology-held at the Ettore Majorana School in Erice- Core Curriculum Uro-Oncology, Courses in the patients-physician cross talk held at the Centro Universitario Residenziale in Bertinoro), regional and macro regional events, research protocols (for instance SIUrO PRIAS ITA, PROSQoLI) in order to promote the debate among the professionals of different disciplines of medicine.
From 2009 SIUrO is Quality Certified for the organization of scientific and educational events in the uro-oncology field.