Each year the network develops, organizes and hosts a medical education program profiling a specific area of cancer surgery and care. These all day courses, called the Spring Update, are fully accredited by the Division of Continuing Professional Development at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine. Featuring expert speakers, the Spring Update is designed to improve surgical oncology practice and knowledge by providing the most current information in the field.
Once again, the Surgery Network held the update in the Spring. This event was hosted in person at the Laurel Packinghouse, in Kelowna.
See the program for the 2025 Spring Update (PDF).
Once again, the Surgery Network held the update in the Spring. This event was hosted in person at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, and online via Zoom.
View the program for the 2024 Spring Update (PDF).
Once again, the Surgery Network held the update in the Spring. This event was hosted in person at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, and online via Zoom.
View the program for the Spring Update 2023 (PDF).
This year the Surgery Network transitioned the update to the Spring, and continued to host it virtually via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
View the program for the 2022 Spring Update (PDF).
This year the Surgery Network hosted the surgical oncology Fall Update virtually via Zoom on October 17th due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
See the program for the 2020 Fall Update (PDF).
The 2019 Fall Update: Management of not-so-rare cancers conference was held on Saturday October 5 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver. This year’s course focused on a mix of topics including upper GI, skin and sarcoma tumours. View the schedule for the 2019 Fall Update (PDF).
On October 13th 2018 we held another successful Fall Update on surgical oncology. This year's topic was head and neck endocrine tumours. View the 2018 Fall Update program (PDF).
The 2017 Fall Update in Colorectal Cancer was held on Saturday October 14, 2017 in Vancouver, BC.
Our annual surgical oncology conference was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver on Saturday October 14th 2017. This year's focus was on colorectal cancers and featured guest speakers and topic specialists. View the 2017 Fall Update agenda (PDF).
The Fall Update on Breast, Melanoma and HPB Cancers was held on Saturday October 22, 2016 in Vancouver, BC.
The Surgical Oncology Network was pleased to host its annual Fall Update, a full-day course, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver on October 22. This year’s CME accredited conference focused on current breast, melanoma, and HPB cancer management. The program included presentations from visiting speakers Dr. Greg McKinnon (breast and melanoma) from Calgary and Dr. Alice Wei (HPB) from Toronto, as well as many local experts.
On November 7 2015, the SON hosted another successful Fall Update in downtown Vancouver at the Four Seasons Hotel. This year's event focused on GI Tract Cancers: From top to bottom.
View the 2015 Fall Update program (PDF).
On October 18 2014, the SON hosted another successful Fall Update in downtown Vancouver at the Four Seasons Hotel. This year's event focused on breast cancer, specifically current controversies in 2014. View the 2014 Fall Update program (PDF).
This year's meeting focused on endocrine cancers. On November 2, 2013, BC Surgical Oncology Network hosted its Annual Fall Update.
This one day course featured multiple topics in endocrine surgical oncology. Below are the presentations and their authors from the meeting.
Dr. Paul Johnson
Total Mesocolic Excision
Dr. Terry Phang
Conventional vs. Extralevator Technique for Abdominoperineal Resection
Dr. James Filipenko
Pathology of Malignant Colon and Rectal Polyps
Dr. Anthony MacLeanMalignant Colon Polyps
Dr. Carl Brown
Transanal Resection of Rectal Neoplasms
Dr. Paul JohnsonAnal Cancers - Part 1
Dr. Devin Schellenberg
Anal Cancers - Part 2
Dr. Sarah FinlaysonProphylactic Salpingo-Oophorectomy for Postmenopausal Women During Rectal Cancer Surgery
Dr. Anthony MacLeanUncommon GI Tumours
Dr. Hagen KenneckeDiagnosis and Treatment of Neuroendocrine Tumours
Dr. Hagen Kennecke
General Surgeon’s Guide to Chemotherapy for Colorectal Cancer
Dr. Jennifer GoulartGeneral Surgeon’s Guide to Radiotherapy for Rectal Cancer
Dr. Patrick Vos, Dr. Petter TonsethImaging Choices in the Management of Colorectal Cancer - Part 1
Imaging Choices in the Management of Colorectal Cancer - Part 2
Dr. Robert GryfeGeneral Surgeon’s Guide to Colorectal Cancer Genetics
Dr. Linlea ArmstrongHereditary Cancer Program of British Columbia
Multidisciplinary PanelChallenging Cases: Panel Discussion
Dr. Rona CheifetzChallenging Cases: Reviewing the Evidence
Dr. Ahmer KarimuddinEnhanced Recovery After Surgery: A BC Success Story
Dr. Carl BrownSurveillance After Treatment of Colorectal Cancer
Dr. Terry PhangFunction and Quality of Life After Rectal Cancer Surgery
Dr. Chris Baliski
Dr. Carl Brown/Dr. Elaine McKevitt
Dr. Rona Cheifetz
Dr. Paul Clarkson
Dr. Alexandra Easson
Dr. Urve Kuusk
Dr. Lloyd Mack
Dr. Andrew McFadden
Dr. Elaine McKevitt
Dr. Jennifer Telford
Dr. Abdul Al-Tourah
Dr. Silvia Chang
Isolated Liver Mass: Imaging and When to Biopsy
Dr. Rob Granger
Dr. Calvin Law
Pancreatic Conundrums, Benign and Malignant
Dr. Howard Lim
Dr. Greg McGregor
Dr. Charles Scudamore
Dr. Carol Swallow
Surgery of Gastric Cancer and Premalignant Lesions
Dr. Tanya Berrang
Dr. Katherine Ceballos
Dr. Noelle Davis
Dr. Susan Ellard
Dr. Karen Gelmon
Dr. Peter Lennox
Dr. David McCready
Dr. Geoffrey Porter
Dr. Audrey Spielmann
Dr. Scott Tyldesley
Dr. Lorna Weir
Dr. Christine Wilson
Percutaneous Stereo Core Biopsies: When, How and Often
The Surgical Oncology Network hosted a two day conference on Rectal Cancer Update: The Last 5 CM -- Distal TME and Beyond at the St. Paul's Hospital on October 24 and 25, 2008.
Presentations
Dr. Akasu, Takayuki
Dr. Brown, Carl
Dr. Brown, Jacquie
Dr. Garcia-Aguilar, Julio
Dr. Hay, John
Dr. Kennecke, Hagen
Dr. Phang, Terry
Dr. Raval, Manoj
Dr. Smith, Andy
On October 27, 2008 the Surgical Oncology Network hosted a one day education conference on Endocrine Surgical Oncology at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel in Vancouver, BC.Presentations:
Dr. Sam Bugis
Dr. Barbara Melosky
Dr. Sabrina Gill
Dr. Rob Irvine
Chair: Dr. Nadine Caron, Members: Dr. Sam Wiseman, Dr. Rob Irvine, Dr. Orlo Clark, Dr. Sam Bugis
Dr. Orlo Clark
Dr. Tom Thomson
Dr. Rick Nason
Dr. John Hay
Dr. Sam Wiseman
Thyroid Cancer: Practical Molecular Biology For the General Surgeon
Chair: Dr. Sam Bugis, Members: Dr. Sam Wiseman, Dr. Rick Nason, Dr. Orlo Clark, Dr. Tom Thomson
Dr. David Huntsman
Dr. Alan Weiss
Dr. John Yee
Dr. Michael Humer
Dr. Barb Melosky
Panel Discussion
The presentations and results from the pre and post test are available below.
Dr. Steven Latosinsky
Contraindications to Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy
Dr. Allen Hayashi
Dr. Michelle Sutter
Dr. Maureen Leia-Stephen
Dr. Peter Doris
Pre and Post Test
Questions and Answers
Results
Presentations from previous Fall updates are made available on this website for information purposes only. Please note that all presentations represent the opinions of the speakers at that time, and viewers should review endorsed cancer surgery guidelines when making patient decisions.
Any clinicians consulting these presentations are expected to use independent medical judgment in the context of individual clinical circumstances to determine patient care or treatment. Use of this site and any information on it is at your own risk, and is subject to the BC Cancer terms of use.
