Rooted in collaboration, growing through time

Our goal

The Russian Society of Oncourology is an expert association. Our common goal is to improve the diagnosis, treatment, quality, and longevity of patients with oncological diseases of the genitourinary system.

The Association is founded

Officially, the Society was founded in 2005. But its history began much earlier: in 1994, the first All-Russian conference with participation from CIS countries, «Current Issues in the Treatment of Oncourological Diseases,» was held at the Medical Radiological Research Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences in Obninsk (Kaluga Region). Back then, the conference gathered 200 people; by 2004, there were over 800 participants – that is when the need to establish the Association became clear.

Our first congress and journal

In 2005, the Association held its first true congress, and that same year, the first issue of the quarterly peer-reviewed scientific and practical journal «Oncourology» was published. In November of the following year, it was included in the «List of Leading Scientific Journals and Publications» by the Higher Attestation Commission, and since August 2006, it has been indexed in Scopus. Since September 2016, the journal has been indexed in Web of Science Core Collection and Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI).

Our founders

The Association was founded by leaders in oncourology from three of Russia’s largest oncology institutions: B.P. Matveev (N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center, Moscow), I.G. Rusakov (P.A. Herzen Moscow Oncology Research Institute, Moscow), and O.B. Karyakin (Medical Radiological Research Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Obninsk). They also created the conditions for the development and growth of new-generation leaders – specialists who see oncourology as more than just a surgical specialization.

The Association’s relevance

Since 2010s at least three Nobel Prizes have been awarded for medicinal treatment methods that have later become routine practice in oncourology. Achievements in disease diagnosis, staging, and classification have also been exceptional. Today, an oncourologist is a multifaceted specialist. The role of surgery in an oncougologist’s work has not diminished as the role of medicinal treatment increased exceptionally. A modern oncourologist is a specialist working at the intersection of surgery, radiology, chemotherapy, and genetics, capable of using modern diagnostic methods and interpreting their data, as well as identifying and mitigating adverse events.

It is precisely this multifaceted demand for oncourologists’ competencies that underscores the relevance of the multidisciplinary community that became the foundation of the Association. Over the years, Russian experts have repeatedly participated in international commissions for guideline development, contributed to international consensus opinions, co-authored international registration studies, and regularly attended American and European congresses as lecturers in scientific sessions and mentors in surgical schools.

We cannot claim all this as solely the Association’s achievement. But we are confident that without unification, these accomplishments would have remained isolated, and the integrated development of patient care would have been impossible.

RAOU today

Currently, the Russian Association of Oncourology (RAOU) has numerous regional branches, uniting over 2,500 specialists. Annually, RAOU holds a congress, as well as regional conferences, schools, and seminars – direct expert support events aimed at professional development, experience exchange, and advancing patient care.

Colleagues, we are glad to be together! We thank everyone involved in this multifaceted and large-scale work! We are open to collaboration and eager for new victories.