Welcome to
Belgian Week of
Pathology 2026
23-24.01.2026
Tangla Hotel, Brussels
After a vibrant joint meeting at Ghent Pathology in 2025, the BWP returns to its roots! We are delighted to welcome the Belgian pathology community back to our flagship annual congress—a premier environment for knowledge exchange, professional growth, and collaborative spirit.
Highlights of the 15th Edition:
-
Keynote Excellence: Prof. Sylvie Lantuejoul (France) presents: "Recent developments in Small Cell Lung Carcinoma."
-
A Global & Local Faculty: We are honored to host an exceptional lineup of international experts from the USA, UK, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, France, and Turkey. We are also proud to feature more than 20 distinguished national speakers, showcasing the high level of expertise within our own Belgian community.
-
Comprehensive Science: A diverse program featuring nearly all BSP working groups and a dedicated session for our Young Pathologists.
-
Celebrating Research: High-quality oral and poster presentations with prizes for both scientific research and challenging diagnostic cases.
-
Community & Connection: Reunite with colleagues during the Friday Evening Congress Dinner, the social highlight of our calendar.
Finally, we extend our gratitude to our industry partners for their continued support, and to you—our attendees—for your dedication to advancing patient care through pathology.
Enjoy the Congress!
The organizing committee,
Vasiliki Siozopoulou and Koen Van de Vijver
Vasiliki SIOZOPOULOU
Belgian Week of Pathology
President
Koen VAN DE VIJVER
Belgian Society of Pathology
President
Board
Vice-presidents
Birgit WEYNAND
Romaric CROES
Treasurer
Karl DHAENE
Secretary (NL)
Claire BOURGAIN
Secretary (FR)
Joan SOMJA
Past President
Pieter DEMETTER
Members
Ann DRIESSEN
Kristof COKELAERE
Maria-Dolores MARTIN MARTINEZ
Shaira SAHEBALI
Gert VAN DEN EYNDEN
Amélie DENDOOVEN
Christine GALANT
Sirimsi SABRIYA
Herbert PLASSCHAERT
Keven WETZELS
Cytotechnologist's representative
Miet VANHERCK
Céline DEGAILLIER
Working Groups
Breast
Giuseppe FLORIS
Cytology
Shaira SAHEBALI
Céline DEGAILLIER
Digestive
Ann DRIESSEN
Ecologic Transformation
Ivan THÉATE
Haematopathology
Pascale DE PAEPE
Head and Neck
Senada KOLJENOVIĆ
Gynaecological pathology
Jean-Christophe NOËL
Molecular
Nicky D'HAENE
Neuropathology
Dietmar THAL
Surgical
Philippe DELVENNE
Urology
Maria-Dolores MARTIN MARTINEZ
Dermatopathology
Vasiliki SIOZOPOULOU
Digitization of pathology
Amélie DENDOOVEN
Preliminary programme
TOPIC 2026: Lung Pathology
KEYNOTE TOPIC: Lung Pathology
Prof. Sylvie Lantuejoul (Lyon/ Grenoble, France)
■ Royal 1 ■ Royal 2 & 3
| 08:00-09:00 | • Welcome |
| 09:00-10:30 |
■ Head & Neck Working Group Practical approach to salivary gland tumors Dr. Ignace Dalle (AZ Sint-Lucas Brugge) Role of RNA sequencing in salivary gland tumours Prof. Dr. Esther Hauben (UZ Leuven) Standardized reporting of salivary gland tumors (and other H&N sites) in Belgium Dr. Sarah Van Praet (Belgian Cancer Registry) OP: The Hidden Mass Behind the Drum: 2 cases of Middle Ear Neuroendocrine Tumor Dr. Amber Lievens (AZ Sint-Jan Brugge) |
| 09:00-10:30 |
■ Digitization Working group Welcome to the session and introduction on scope of the working group of digitization Dr. Frederik Deman (ZAS) What is SNOMED CT and what is the relevance for pathology? Dr. Stefan Dubois (UZ Antwerpen) BSP working group on digital pathology current projects and perspectives Prof. Amélie Dendooven (UZ Gent) Use case on workload measurement and assignment Dr. Franceska Dedeurwaerdere (AZ Delta) |
| 10:30-11:15 | • Coffee Break & Poster Tour |
| 11:15-12:45 |
■ Gynecopathology Working Group Indication for placenta examination and legal aspects Prof. Drucilla Roberts (Cambridge, USA) OP: Additional sectioning reveals underdiagnosis of serous (pre)malignancies in fallopian tube specimen Dr. Anouk Bouwmeester (Nijmegen, The Netherlands) |
| 11:15-12:45 |
■ Neuropathology Working group Diagnosis of neuroinflammatory conditions in brain biopsies Prof. Christine Stadelmann-Nessler (Göttingen, Germany) Current and future perspective on the role of molecular techniques in the neuropathological diagnosis of gliomas Prof. Philipp Sievers (Heidelberg, Germany) Case presentation, members of the working group Dr. Lukas Marcelis (UZ Leuven), Dr. Melek Ahmed (AZ Sint-Jan Brugge), Dr. Stefanie Brock (UZ Brussel) |
| 12:45-14:00 | • Lunch & Poster Tour |
| 14:00-15:30 |
■ UroPathology Working Group Testis lectures on GCT and SCT Prof.Andres Martin Acosta (Indianapolis, USA), Prof. Daniel Berney (London, UK) 30 minutes practical cases Members of the working group OP: Sertoli–Leydig Cell Tumor presenting with Ascites and Pleural Effusion: a diagnostic challenge Dr. Júlia Azevedo (IPO-Porto, Portugal) |
| 15:30-16:15 | • Coffee Break & Poster Tour |
| 15:40-16:10 | • Satellite Symposium Round table on PD-L1 scoring in advanced melanoma. Your case, our discussion. |
| 16:15-17:30 |
■ Haematopathology Working Group Beautiful lymphomas cases in the lung and mediastinum Presenters: Prof. T. Tousseyn (UZ Leuven), Dr. P. Collins (CHULiege), Dr. J. Somja (CHULiege), Dr. P. De Paepe (AZ Sint-Jan Brugge) OP: Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders: clinico-pathological correlations Dr. Ahmad Chebbo (CUSL) |
| 16:15-17:30 |
■ Joint Meeting Dermato- & Breast Pathology Working Groups Update on nipple lesions of the breast Prof. Cristian Scatena (Pisa, Italy) Case presentation Dr. David Zylberberg (CUSL), Prof. Francesca Bosisio (UZ Leuven) OP: Flowchart to reduce sentinel lymph node procedures after biopsy-diagnosed ductal carcinoma in situ Dr. Julia A.M. Riggi (CUSL) |
| 18:00-19:00 |
KEYNOTE LECTURE: Lung Cancer Recent developments in Small Cell Lung Carcinoma Prof. Sylvie Lantuejoul (Lyon / Grenoble, France) |
| 19:00-19:30 | • Cocktail Reception |
| 19:30-23:00 | • Dîner |
| 08:00-09:00 | • Welcome |
| 09:00-10:30 |
■ Cytopathology ASC-US study by the EFCS Dr. Claire Bourgain (Imelda Ziekenhuis) The New Cervical Screening Program: First Beginnings Dr. Koen Van Herck (Belgian Cancer Registry) |
| 09:00-10:30 |
■ Joint meeting Young Pathologists & Molecular Working Group Molecular insight of uterine carcinoma Prof Koen Van de Vijver (UZ Ghent) OP: Your sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma refuses to stain for MUC4? Check for the YAP1-KMT2A fusion! Dr. Nathalie Mengeot (CUSL) |
| 10:30-11:15 | • Coffee Break & Poster Tour |
| 11:15-12:45 |
■ Cytopathology Focus on cytology exams by IAC Case discussion (GYN) Prof. Lia van Zuylen (Nijmegen, The Netherlands), Dr. Anouk Bouwmeester (Nijmegen, The Netheands) and Dr. Shaira Sahebali (UZ Brussels) |
| 11:15-12:45 |
■ Molecular Pathology Working Group Liquid Biopsy in Thoracic Pathology, Today and Tomorrow Prof Paul Hofman (Nice, France) Resistancy mechanisms in NSCLC Prof Christophe Dooms (UZLeuven) OP: “Identifying predictive biomarkers in Early Breast Cancer: A Focus on T-cell functional profiling Dr. Charlotte Birchall (UCLouvain / LTO, Gosselies) |
| 12:45-14:00 | • Lunch & Poster Tour |
| 13:00-13:20 |
■ General Assembly Belgian Society of Pathology |
| 14:00-16:00 |
■ Surgical Pathology Adult autopsy investigation of sudden death cases: a correct methodology is crucial for secondary prevention Prof Giulia d’Amati (Rome, Italy) The role of molecular autopsy in sudden cardiovascular death cases Prof Monica De Gaspari (Padova, Italy) Autopsy neuropathology across the lifespan: age-dependent disorders of the nervous system Dr. Stefanie Brock (UZ Brussel) |
| 14:00-16:00 |
■ Digestive Pathology Working Group Non-IBD colitis Dr. Laurine Verset (ULB Bordet) IBD-colitis Prof. Pamela Baldin (UC St Luc) Nonconventional Dysplasia in IBD Prof. Arzu Ensari (Ankara, Turkey) Colitis-associated cancer Prof. Megali Scvrek (Paris, France) OP: SARIFA in colon cancer: prognostic limitations and biological perspectives Dr. Jennifer Fallas (ULB) |
| 16:00-16:15 | • Awards Ceremony Closing Ceremony BWP 2026 |
