The 39th European Congress of Pathology (ECP 2027) is the flagship annual meeting of the European Society of Pathology and takes place from 4 to 8 September 2027 at MECC Maastricht in the Netherlands. It follows the 2026 congress in Stockholm and continues the ESP tradition of rotating between European host cities in partnership with the national pathology society of the host country. Recent editions in Vienna, Florence and Dublin each drew several thousand delegates, and Maastricht is expected to welcome a similarly large international audience of consultant pathologists, trainees, scientists, laboratory managers and biomedical scientists.
The scientific programme is built from the work of the ESP's many Working Groups, which means the congress covers subspecialty pathology in unusual depth: breast, gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary and pancreatic, genitourinary, gynaecological, head and neck, pulmonary, endocrine, dermatopathology, haematopathology, neuropathology, paediatric, soft tissue and bone, cardiovascular, and infectious disease pathology, alongside cross-cutting tracks in cytopathology, autopsy practice, molecular pathology, quality assurance and digital and computational pathology. Typical formats include plenary and keynote lectures, state-of-the-art symposia, short courses, interactive slide seminars run by working group experts, companion society meetings and abstract-driven oral and poster sessions.
Two themes dominate current ECP programmes and are expected to feature strongly in Maastricht: the integration of predictive molecular biomarkers into routine diagnostic reporting for precision oncology, and the practical rollout of whole-slide imaging, digital workflows and AI-assisted diagnosis in accredited laboratories. Sessions on laboratory accreditation, workforce shortages and pathologist wellbeing have also become regular fixtures.
Abstract submission is central to the meeting, with original research, case reports and audit work assessed for oral or poster presentation, and the ESP supports young pathologists through bursaries and dedicated trainee sessions. A substantial industry exhibition accompanies the congress, covering laboratory automation, immunohistochemistry and molecular platforms, digital pathology systems and companion diagnostics.
At the time of listing, the ESP had published dates and venue for the 2027 Maastricht congress but not yet the registration fees, abstract deadline, CME accreditation figure, programme themes or invited faculty; these follow the conclusion of the 2026 Stockholm cycle and will be posted on the official congress site.
