5 The latest Globocan statistics on prostate cancer, show that South Africa has one of the highest mortality rates from prostate cancer. In addition, actuarial forecasts commissioned by Cancer Alliance in 2021 show that prostate cancer will be the most common cancer in South Africa by 2030. The South African public sector appears to be hopelessly ill-prepared to deal with the coming prostate cancer Tsunami. What role can the SAUA play in addressing these challenges? The SAUA has an important role to play. Urologists are at the forefront of the ght against prostate cancer. Education is important. Awareness is equally important from a public health perspective. I don't think it's just the public sector that's unprepared, the private sector is also struggling with the rising cost of treatments. I believe we need to recognise the high risk in men of African descent and promote earlier, risk-based screening. The SAUA is involved in obtaining data more relevant to our local population and is instrumental in collaboration with international prostate cancer researchers. We're working to shift diagnosis to earlier stages of the disease, which will hopefully allow for earlier and more cost-effective treatments for those who need it. Technological innovations are changing the face of urology at a rapid pace. Robotic surgery has been a game changer as have the new medications for treating biochemical recurrence and advanced prostate cancer. Are we reaching a stage where urologists, like many other disciplines, will start to super specialise in order to be able to provide their patients with optimal care? Super-specialisation is denitely the future, but in South Africa, we don't have the volume or funding to support it everywhere. We need better training, accreditation, and collaboration between public and private sectors. Mentorship and national registries are also essential to ensure quality and safety as we move forward. We know that robotic prostatectomy outcomes are best when done by high volume surgeons at high volume centres. Should patients have access to this information to assist them with choosing a surgeon? I support transparency, but publishing individual surgeon numbers in South Africa could have unintended negative consequences for the majority of practitioners because the nature of state and private practice in South Africa means our patient volumes are generally lower, compared to rst world cancer treatment centres. I think national surgical registries and patient education initiatives are better ways to empower patients to make informed choices. Given that most urologists who graduate have had limited exposure to robotic surgery, does SAUA have any plans to set up fellowships for graduating urologists who want to become robotic surgeons? We have successfully set up the Robotic Surgery Interest Group within the SAUA. They have been working on establishing standardised training pathways for robotic surgery, involving international opinion leaders, industry, academic units and local experts. I rmly believe local fellowships are the future for specialised training, and it is our duty to pool our collective resources within the country to train our surgeons to the highest possible level. This can only be achieved if we think outside the box and pursue innovative solutions to our training challenges. Private public partnerships are certainly achievable in the immediate future. AI is likely to have a profound and multifaceted impact on medicine, enhancing diagnostics, enabling personalised treatment, and speeding up drug development. What is SAUA doing to prepare for the impact of AI on urology? We're exploring ways to give our members better access to medical AI tools, like AI-driven note-keeping and diagnostic support. AI is already improving patient information, improving diagnostic accuracy, for example in prostate MRI reporting, enabling urologists to more easily target abnormal areas with biopsies. The SAUA is negotiating broader access to these technologies for our members. Tell us about your interests and hobbies, and how you manage to balance work, family and recreation. I enjoy mountain biking and riding my motorbike, and I try to spend as much time as I can with my family. Honestly, I nd achieving work-life balance is tough, and I don't always manage it as well as I'd like.
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