The Hong Kong Society of Uro-oncology (HKSUO) 6th Annual Scientific Meeting meets in extraordinary circumstances. COVID-19 has presented an unprecedented challenge, and has changed both the medical field and the social environment in which we operate.

The global pandemic has meant changes to the way patients engage with and access medical services. Necessity has been the driver of innovation. The emergence of tele-medicine has already revolutionised expectations and the way we think about and design services; and there are new guidelines and policies for clinicians worldwide. It has changed the way we conduct meetings and the way we work, with more efficient use of technology to facilitate communication both between researchers and doctors, and between doctors and patients.

The HKSUO, as a platform for multi-specialty discussion and collaboration on urological cancers, has played a leading role in advancing understanding of the latest advances in the management and treatment of the disease, and in the promotion of cutting-edge applications and treatments. Despite the challenges, this past year has been no different.

Significant advances have been made in the way urological cancers are treated. Immunotherapy continues to play an increasingly important role. The way we manage and treat urological cancers has changed too with new targeted therapy. The increasing role of biomarkers to help select patients for suitable therapies has allowed for progress to be made towards more a targeted and personalized treatment.

It is therefore a pleasure to be able to again welcome to this meeting a series of world class speakers from across the globe to share with us their research and experience in the field of urological cancers, and who are all well placed to keep us abreast of the latest and most promising advances in the continuing evolution and developments in immunotherapy and other forms of target therapy.

Whilst we hope the meeting will be able to proceed in person, with the ongoing pandemic this may not be possible. Should this be the case we hope to provide option for the meeting to take place either virtually or semi-virtually with a restricted audience, depending on circumstance.

As a Society the HKSUO continues to grow. We are proud of our diverse membership, with members drawn from a range of specialist professionals, including clinical researchers, practicing doctors and nurses, among other medical practitioners. This makes us uniquely able to facilitate cross-disciplinary understanding and collaboration. The importance of this has only become more pronounced as medical professions continue to evolve and to adapt to new realities.

I wish to thank all our members for their continued support, without which our success as a Society would not be possible, and I look forward to seeing many of you at our keynote event.