CancerWorld shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Hein Van Poppel Once Said: A Nostalgic Throwback to 2007.
In November-December 2007, Dr. Hein Van Poppel, then Director of the European School of Urology, graced the cover of CancerWorld with a bold statement:
“It is more important to know the patient than to know the drug.”
At that time, Dr. Van Poppel was leading a movement to redefine urological oncology, pushing for specialized training, multidisciplinary collaboration, and European accreditation for urologists treating cancer. His vision was clear:
- Urologists should manage the full spectrum of care, from surgery to systemic therapy.
- Treatment decisions should be made collaboratively, not competitively.
- Education and accreditation must ensure safety, quality, and true expertise.
Nearly 20 years later, his legacy is everywhere.
- The European Multidisciplinary Meeting on Urological Cancers (EMUC), which he helped found, has become a cornerstone of collaboration between urologists, oncologists, and radiation therapists.
- Robotic and minimally invasive surgery, once emerging technologies, are now the gold standard.
- And multidisciplinary tumour boards have become routine practice across Europe.
Yet, his message still resonates today. As precision medicine, immunotherapy, and AI reshape cancer care, Dr. Van Poppel’s timeless reminder endures: technology matters, but understanding the whole patient matters more.
Read the full November-December 2007 issue of CancerWorld.”
More posts featuring CancerWorld on OncoDaily.