EFC Congress 2026
Scientific Programme
The Congress is going to be held in Central European Summer Time zone. To convert to your time zone, please click here.
Pre-Congress Workshop and Course
Wednesday October 14, 2026
Pre-congress courses
ROOM: MAGNOLIA
08:30 – 13:00
Vulvo-vaginal disease: beyond the cervix
(including skills for vagina/vulval/perianal biopsy and treatment)
Chairs: Vesna KESIC (SE), Pedro BAPTISTA (PO), Mario PRETI (IT), Jacob BORNSTEIN (IL)
*Fully booked
Welcome and Introduction
1. Vaginal disease
08:30 – 08:50 Vaginal dysbiosis: beyond bacterial vaginosis
Speaker: Pedro BAPTISTA (PO)
08:50 – 09:10 Challenges in diagnosing vaginal SIL
Speaker: Mario PRETI (IT)
09:10 – 09:30 How new IFCPC terminology reflects to management of vaginal SIL?
Speaker: Jacob BORNSTEIN (IL)
09:30 – 09:50 The Hidden Diagnostic Puzzle: Vaginal Malignancy
Speaker: Vesna KESIC (SE)
09:50 – 10:10 Approaches to vaginal diseases through case studies
Speaker: Pedro BAPTISTA (PO)
2. Vulvar disease
10:10 – 10:30 -Vulvodynia-a new paradigm
Speaker: Jacob BORNSTEIN (IL)
10:30 – 10:50 How to differentiate vulvar neoplasia from vulvar dermatoses?
Speaker: Pedro BAPTISTA (PO)
10:50 – 11:10 New ISSVD terminology of VIN and its implications to clinical management
Speaker: Mario PRETI (IT)
11:10 – 11:30 Case based learning: rare and challenging vulvar findings
Speaker: Vesna KESIC (SE)
3. HPV and more
11:30 – 11:50 Multizonal anogenital neoplasia
Speaker: Mario PRETI (IT)
11:50 – 12:10 Does gynecologist have a role in screening for AIN?
Speaker: Vesna KESIC (SE)
12:10 – 12:30 I was diagnosed with an HPV lesion-what should I tell to my partner?
Speaker: Jacob BORNSTEIN (IL)
4. Ask the experts
12:30 – 13:00 Interactive session addressing participants’ questions
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch break
14:00 – 18:00
Hands-on training course (ablation, TA&laser, LLETZ)
6 stations / nr
Chair: Xavier CARCOPINO (FR)
*Fully booked
14:00 – 15:30 1. “How to do it” lectures
14:00 – 14:15 How to set up the colposcope
Speaker: Xavier CARCOPINO (FR)
14:15 – 14:30 How to perform a LLETZ
Speaker: Jana ŽODŽIKA (LV)
14:30 – 14:45 How to perform laser ablation
Speaker: Xavier CARCOPINO (FR)
14:45 – 15:00 Discussion
15:00 – 15:30 Introduction to the hands-on session
15:30 – 16:00 Coffe break
16:00 – 18:00 2. Hands-on training on simulators
Chairs: Xavier CARCOPINO (FR), Jana ŽODŽIKA (LV), Giovanni DELLI CARPINI (IT)
ROOM: TRANSILVANIA
08:00 – 13:00
Training the trainers
Chair: Maggie CRUICKSHANK (GB)
*Fully booked
08:00 – 08:15 1. Welcome and Introduction
Speaker: Maggie CRUICKSHANK (GB)
- Faculty introduction and Trainer Identity Map exercise
08:15 – 08:45 2. The EFC Approach to Colposcopy Training
- EFC training standards and curriculum
- Competencies and trainer responsibilities
- Challenges and opportunities across Europe
- Interactive discussion
Speaker: Maggie CRUICKSHANK (GB)
08:45 – 09:15 3. How Adults Learn
- Adult learning principles
- VARK and learning preferences (participants will have taken online quiz before course to identify their learning type
- Creating an effective learning environment
Speaker: Grainne FLANNELLY (IE)
09:15 – 09:45 4. Simulation-Based Training in Colposcopy
- Communication and consultation skills
Speaker: Maggie CRUICKSHANK (GB)
- Teaching colposcopic assessment
- Teaching practical procedures
Speaker: Cecelia KÄRRBERG (AT)
- Digital images, video and simulation tools
Speaker: Grainne FLANNELLY (IE)
9:45 – 10:00 Small group exercise: “How do you train in your own unit?”
10:00 – 10:30 Coffe break
10:30 – 11:00 5. Structured colposcopy assessment: Using the Swedescore in colposcopy practice and training
- How to score colposcopy with the Swedescore
- Evaluation of colposcopic images
Speaker: Cecelia KÄRRBERG (AT)
11:00 – 11:20 6.Giving Effective Feedback and Developing Learning Plans
- Models of feedback
- Workplace-based assessment
- Setting objectives and action plans
Speaker: Maggie CRUICKSHANK (GB)
11:20 – 11:40 Interactive exercise using video scenario
Participants practice feedback conversations in small groups
11:40 – 12:10 7. Supporting the Trainee in Difficulty
- Small groups discuss 5 scenarios of trainee who is struggling
- Recognising problems early
- Performance concerns
- Professionalism and communication issues
- Confidence and progression difficulties
- Case-based group discussions
Speaker: Grainne FLANNELLY (IE)
Group leads report back on action plan for each trainee
12:10 – 12:40 8. Assessing Competence and Quality Assurance
- Entrustment and competency assessment
- Logbooks and portfolios
- Trainer responsibilities
- Quality assurance of training programmes
Speaker: Grainne FLANNELLY (IE)
13:00 9. Course evaluation and close
- Common challenges in training
- Top tips from experienced trainers
- Personal action planning
Course Trainer ToolKit (Provided to all course attendees)
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch break
14:00 – 19:00
Colposcopy skills masterclass
(basics + documentation video), Video-Based Masterclass
Short “How I do it” procedure videos with discussion
Chair: Amelia PEDRO (PT)
*Fully booked
14:00 – 14:20 Natural History of HPV and Primary Prevention
Speaker: Amelia PEDRO (PT)
14:20 – 14:40 Cervical Cancer screening
Speaker: Hanna MILREAD (SE)
14:40 – 15:00 Colposcopy & biopsy – material and methods
Speaker: Maria CASTRO (ES)
15:00 – 15:30 Colposcopy of the Normal cervix: Transformation zone; IFCPC Nomenclature; Pregnancy and menopause
Speaker: Hanna MILERAD (SE)
15:30 – 16:00 Colposcopy of the abnormal transformation zone: Colposcopic findings grades 1 and 2
Speaker: Amelia PEDRO (PT)
16:00 – 16:20 Coffe break
16:20 – 16:40 Colposcopy in microinvasive and invasive disease
Speaker: Maggie CRUICKSHANK (GB)
16:40 – 17:00 Colposcopy of glandular lesions
Speaker: Christina FOUNTA (GR)
17:00 – 17:45 Treatment Methods – indications, technique, complications
Cryotherapy & Thermoablation
Speaker: Maggie CRUICKSHANK (GB)
Electrosurgery – needle and loop
Speaker: Hanna MILERAD (SE)
Laser – ablative and excisional procedures
Speaker: Amelia PEDRO (PT)
17:45 – 19:00 Interactive discussion of clinical cases (images & videos)
Speakers: All
ROOM: ORHIDEEA
08:30 – 13:00
Cervical cancer prevention in Romania: from screening to precision colposcopy
Chairs: Mihaela GRIGORE (RO), Mihaela BADEA (RO)
*Fully booked
08:30 – 08:40 Opening
Speaker: Ana Cristina ANTON (RO)
08:40 – 08:55 Implementation of HPV-based screening in Romania: progress and barriers
Speaker: Elvira BRĂTILĂ (RO)
08:55 – 09:10 HPV vaccination in Romania- lessons learned and future directions
Speaker: Radu VLADAREANU (RO)
09:10 – 09:25 Clara project- Cervical cancer control through equitable access for underserved populations
Speaker: Octavian MUNTEANU (RO)
09:25 – 09:40 The Evolution of Colposcopy in the Republic of Moldova: Looking Back, Moving Forward
Speakers: Uliana TABUICA (MD)
09:40 – 09:55 Cervical Screening in the Republic of Moldova: Evolution, Achievements and Key Considerations in the Transition to Primary HPV Screening
Speakers: Diana VALUTA (MD)
09:55 – 10:10 Molecular markers/ Triage strategies after HPV positivity – what works best?
Speaker: Demetra SOCOLOV (RO)
10:10 – 10:30 PRESENTATION: Elevating Diagnostic Precision in Cervical Cancer Screening- the clinical value of dual staining
Speaker: Elvira BRĂTILĂ (RO)
10:30 – 11:00 Coffe break
11:00 – 11:15 Colposcopic standards: are we aligned with ESGO/EFC recommendations?
Speaker: Stefania TUDORACHE (RO)
11:15 – 11:30 Colposcopy in HPV era: how to run a colposcopy clinic
Speaker: Mihaela BADEA (RO)
11:30 – 11:45 Management of CIN2+ in Romania – between guidelines and reality
Speaker: Claudiu MARGINEAN (RO)
11:45 – 12:00 Overtreatment vs undertreatment in cervical lesions
Speaker: Dominic ILIESCU (RO)
12:00 – 12:15 Quality Indicators in Cervical Cancer Prevention: how we implement them in Romania
Speaker: Laurentiu PIRTEA (RO)
12:15 – 12:30 Colposcopic challenges of HPV infection in menopause, our experience
Speaker: Diana PLES (RO)
12:30 – 12:40 PRESENTATION: HPV: A Viral Story with an Ending We Can Control
Speaker: Mihaela GRIGORE (RO)
12:40 – 13:00 Discussion
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch break
14:00 – 19:00
Challenging colposcopy
Difficult cases + “Bring Your Own Case”(BYOC) Workshops: Delegates submit difficult cases and a small-group experts review them LIVE
Chairs: Pekka NIEMINEN (FI), Giovanni DELLI CARPINI (IT)
*Fully booked
14:00 – 14:10 Welcome and introduction to the interactive workshop
Presentation of the case-based format and live audience voting.
14:10 – 14:30 Interactive difficult case
Speaker: Giovanni DELLI CARPINI (IT)
14:30 – 14:50 Interactive difficult case
Speaker: Mihaela Grigore (RO)
14:50 – 15:10 Interactive difficult case
Speaker: Pekka Nieminen (FI)
15:10 – 15:30 Interactive difficult case
Speaker: Ilkka Kalliala (FI)
15:30 – 15:50 “Bring Your Own Case” Part 1
Cases brought or submitted by delegates and reviewed live by the expert
panel
Faculty: All
15:50 – 16:00 Open discussion
16:00 – 16:20 Coffee break
16:20 – 16:40 Interactive difficult case
Speaker: Laura Kotaniemi-Talonen (FI)
16:40 – 17:00 Interactive difficult case
Speaker: André Kind (CH)
17:00 – 17:20 Interactive difficult case
Speaker: Goran DIMITROV (MK)
17:20 – 17:40 “Bring Your Own Case” Part 2
Cases brought or submitted by delegates and reviewed live by the expert
panel
Faculty: All
17:40 – 18:00 Interactive difficult case
Speaker: Gráinne Flannelly (IE)
18:00 – 18:20 Interactive difficult case
Speaker: Stefania TUDORACHE (RO)
18:20 – 18:50 Additional interactive cases and open expert discussion
Selected reserve cases, unresolved diagnostic or management questions, and discussion with the audience
Faculty: All
18:50 – 19:00 Key learning points and closing remarks
Chairs: Pekka Nieminen (FI), Giovanni DELLI CARPINI (IT)
Congress
From Thursday October 15 to Saturday October 17
ROOM: Crown Ballroom
SCREENING AND PREVENTION
08:00 – 10:00 1. HPV vaccination in Europe: success, inequality and unintended consequences
Chairs: Christine BERGERON (FR), Robert JACH (PO), Claudiu MARGINEAN (RO)
- 08:00 – 08:20 EFC statements regarding HPV vaccination in adults
Speaker: Xavier CARCOPINO (FR) - 08:20 – 08:50 HPV vaccination in the world
Speaker: Marc ARBYN (BE) - 08:50 – 09:10 Early adopters’ experience: lessons from highly vaccinated European countries
Speaker: Pedro BAPTISTA (PO) - 09:10 – 09:30 Cervical cancer screening in vaccinated women
Speaker: Maggie CRUICKSHANK (GB) - 09:30 – 09:50 HPV Vaccination outside the teenage
Speaker: Ilkka KALLIALA (FI) - 09:50 – 10:00 Discussion
10:00 – 11:00 Coffee break
10:00 – 11:00 PRESENTATION: Protecting Women at Every Age – HPV Vaccination beyond
adolescence
Speaker: Mihaela GRIGORE (RO), Radu VLADAREANU (RO), Jacob BORNSTEIN (IL) – ROOM ORCHIDEEA
11:00 – 13:00 2. Screening strategies (personalized screening, self-sampling)
From algorithms to clinical practice: can personalized screening be implemented in Europe?
Chairs: Ilkka KALLIALA (FI), Mihaela BADEA (RO), Miriam ELFSTRÖM (SE)
- 11:00 – 11:20 HPV Self-sampling in Europe: where are we now?
Speaker: Marc ARBYN (BE) - 11:20 – 11:40 HPV vaccination in Europe – One algorithm, many Europes: can personalised screening be standardised?
Speaker: Miriam ELFSTRÖM (SE) - 11:40 – 12:00 Screening Failures: why do cancers still occur in screened women?
Speaker: Hanna MILERAD (SE) - 12:00 – 12:20 Molecular markers in screening
Speaker: Mihaela BADEA (RO) - 12:20 – 12:40 Screening in European setting when resources are limited
Speaker: Vesna KESIC (SE) - 12:40 – 13:00 Discussion
13:00 – 13:40 PRESENTATION: High-Risk HPV Management: From Natural History to Proactive, Evidence-Based Non-Invasive Intervention Building Clinical Evidence for a New Approach During the Watchful Waiting Period
Speaker: Mihaela GRIGORE (RO), Murat GULTEKIN (TR) – ROOM ORCHIDEEA
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch break
14:00 – 16:00 3. Current knowledge on HPV natural history: persistence, latency and clinical consequences
Chairs: Maggie CRUICKSHANK (GB), Melanie HENES (DE), Laurentiu PIRTEA (RO)
- 14:00 – 14:20 The current model of HPV persistency and CIN development
Speaker: John DOORBAR (UK) - 14:20 – 14:40 Persistence vs progression: why most HPV infections do not behave the same
Speaker: Olaf REICH (AT) - 14:40 – 15:00 The new WHO Guidance on HPV Genotyping: Right Test, Wrong Continent?
Speaker: Maggie CRUICKSHANK (GB) – Miriam ELFSTRÖM (SE) - 15:00 – 15:20 HPV Reactivation or Redetection in Older Women: A Real Phenomenon?
Speaker: Melanie HENES (DE) - 15:20 – 15:40 Can HPV be treated: review of non-surgical treatments
Speaker: Maggie CRUICKSHANK (GB) - 15:40 – 16:00 Discussion
16:00 – 16:30 Coffe break
16:30 – 18:00 4. The grand triage challenge: interactive case voting & discussion
Chairs: Xavier CARCOPINO (FR), Pekka NIEMINEN (FI), Jana ŽODŽIKA (LV)
- 16:30 – 16:45 Persistent high-Risk HPV with repeated low-grade cytology
Speaker: Andre KIND (CH) - 16:45 – 17:00 HPV16 positive, cytology negative, type 3 transformation zone
Speaker: Christina FOUNTA (GR) - 17:00 – 17:15 HPV persistence with negative cytology and normal colposcopy
Speaker: Goran DIMITROV (MK) - 17:15 – 17:30 Post-treatment HPV positivity with normal colposcopy
Speaker: Elvira BRATILA (RO) - 17:30 – 17:45 HPV positive woman over 50 with negative cytology
Speaker: Amelia PEDRO (PT) - 17:45 – 18:00 Abnormal cytology but HPV negative test
Speaker: Maggie CRUICKSHANK (GB)
18:00 – 18:45 Oral Presentations ( I ) – 4 best oral presentations (10 minutes each)
Chairs: Giovanni DELLI CARPINI (IT), Andre KIND (CH), Dominic ILIESCU (RO)
18:45 End day 1
19:00 – 22:00 Welcome Ceremony
ROOM: Crown Ballroom
COLPOSCOPY EXCELLENCE DAY
08:00 – 08:45 Oral Presentations (II) – 4 best oral presentations (10 minutes each)
Chairs: Cecilia KÄRRBERG (SE), Liana PLES (RO), Demetra SOCOLOV (RO)
08:45 – 10:40 5. At the cutting edge in colposcopy
Chairs: Mario PRETI (IT), Mihaela GRIGORE (RO), Stefania TUDORACHE (RO)
- 08:45 – 09:05 Recent Updates in the IFCPC Classification
Speaker: Jacob BORNSTEIN (IL) - 09:05 – 09:25 ESGO-EFC consensus on EEC
Speaker: Mario PRETI (IT) - 09:25 – 09:45 AI in cervical cancer screening and colposcopy: current evidence and clinical integration in Europe
Speaker: Theresa FREEMAN WANG (UK) - 09:45 – 10:05 New technologies in colposcopy
Speaker: Murat GULTEKIN (TR) - 10:05 – 10:25 Consensus statement on older women
Speaker: Vesna KESIC (SE) - 10:25 – 10:40 Discussion
10:40 – 11:00 Coffe break
11:00 – 13:00 6. Optimal management in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia
Chairs: Xavier CARCOPINO (FR), Laura KOTANIEMI-TALONEN (FI), Uliana TABUICA (MD)
- 11:00 – 11:20 EFC consensus CIN2 management
Speaker: Xavier CARCOPINO (FR) - 11:20 – 11:40 Optimal management of high grade cervical squamous lesions
Speaker: Jana ŽODŽIKA (LV) - 11:40 – 12:00 CIN2: perspectives and concerns of the pathologist
Speaker: Christine BERGERON (FR) - 12:00 – 12:20 CIN management and reproductive outcomes: where should we draw the line?
Speaker: Ilkka KALLIALA (FI) - 12:20 – 12:40 Ablation or excision: how to choose the optimal treatment
Speaker: Maggie CRUICKSHANK (GB) - 12:40 – 13:00 Discussion
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch break
14:00 – 16:00 7. Quality Assurance in Europe: standards, gaps and real-life challenges
Chairs: Simon LEESON (UK), Ameli TROPÉ (NO), Tamar ALIBERGASHVILI (GE)
- 14:00 – 14:20 Key quality indicators: detection rates, biopsies, margins, follow-up
Speaker: Gráinne FLANNELLY (IE) - 14:20 – 14:40 EFC practical QA toolkit for daily practice in colposcopy
Speaker: Simon LEESON (UK) - 14:40 – 15:00 Strengthening Colposcopy Quality within EUCanScreen
Speaker: Ameli TROPÉ (NO) - 15:00 – 15:20 Implementing QA in the transitional setting in Europe
Speaker: Cecilia KÄRRBERG (SE) - 15:20 – 15:40 Discussion
15:40 – 16:00 Coffe break
16:00 – 17:15 8. Challenging Clinical cases – Mock MDT (Multidisciplinary Team)
Chairs: Theresa FREEMAN WANG (UK), Gráinne FLANNELLY (IE), Deirdre LYONS (UK)
- 16:00 – 16:15 Cervical Congenital metaplasia with abnormal cytology/HPV positive test
Speaker: Tamar ALIBERGASHVILI (GE) - 16:15 – 16:30 HSIL (CIN2/3) on histology in adolescence
Speaker: Robert KOISS (HU) - 16:30 – 16:45 Discordant results: persistent HPV, abnormal cytology, negative biopsies
Speaker: Noirin RUSSELL (IE) - 16:45 – 17:00 Glandular lesion of the cervix
Speaker: Natalya VOLODKO (UA) - 17:00 – 17:15 Persistent HPV Infection and VAIN in a Patient after Hysterectomy
Speaker: Laura KOTANIEMI-TALONEN (FI)
17:45 – 18:45 Oral Presentations (III) – 6 best oral presentations (10 minutes each)
Chairs: Radu VLADAREANU (RO), Natalya VOLODKO (UA), Dominic ILIESCU (RO)
18:45 End day 2
ROOM: Orhideea
18:45 – 19:45 EFC Congress Committee
ROOM: Crown Ballroom
PATIENT-CENTRED CARE & REPRODUCTIVE OUTCOMES
08:00 – 08:45 Oral Presentations (IV) – 6 best oral presentations (10 minutes each)
Chairs: Noirin RUSSELL (IE), Stefania TUDORACHE (RO), Laurentiu PIRTEA (RO)
09:00 – 10:30 9. Patient information, medico-legal aspects, social media, patient trauma informed
Chairs: Daniel MURESAN (RO), Jesús DE LA FUENTE VALERO (ES), Ioana ROTAR (RO)
- 09:00 – 09:20 Trauma-informed colposcopy: why it matters more than we think
Speaker: Deirdre LYONS (UK)
- 09:20 – 09:40 Informed consent in colposcopy: are we really protected?
Speaker: Jean-Luc MERGUI (FR)
- 09:40 – 10:00 Communicating HPV Results Without Inducing Fear: Counselling Strategies for HPV-Positive Patients
Speaker: Jesús DE LA FUENTE VALERO (ES)
- 10:00 – 10:20 Social media, misinformation and HPV: who shapes the patient narrative?
Speaker: Andrea CIAVATTINI (IT)
- 10:20 – 10:30 Discussion
10:30 – 11:00 Coffe break
11:00 – 12:45 10. Shared difficult decisions: Supporting Fertility-Sensitive Care- Clinical cases
Chairs: Karoliina LOUVANTO (FI), Elvira BRATILA (RO), Andrea CIAVATTINI (IT)
- 11:00 – 11:20 HPV infection during pregnancy: how to counsel our patients
Speaker: Aleksandra ŠAVROVA (EE)
- 11:20 – 11:40 Clinical Management of Positive Margins After LLETZ
Speaker: Karoliina LOUVANTO (FI)
- 11:40 – 12:00 Adenocarcinoma in Situ of the Cervix in a Woman Desiring Future Fertility
Speaker: Zvi VAKNIN (IL)
- 12:00 – 12:20 CIN in Pregnancy
Speaker: Efraim SIEGLER (IL)
12:30 – 13:00 Closing ceremony
13:00 End day 3
Tickets
Register for EFC Congress 2026
11th European Federation For Colposcopy Congress
“Cervical cancer prevention and colposcopy”
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