Profiles
“Very special to be the first non-urologist to win this award” Prof. Jelle Barentsz receives the EAU Innovators in Urology Award By Juul Seesing
says. “I have been awarded many prizes, among which the royal decoration of Knight in the Order of The year was 2006 when Prof. Jelle Barentsz (NL) the Lion of the Netherlands, which is like knighthood sustained a partial paraplegia after an operation in the UK. But the EAU Innovators in Urology Award is gone wrong. “I can walk well again – with some an even more important prize to me than that. Why? limitations,” he says now, fifteen years later. “The Because before me, this prize was granted to what I recovery went excellently for me, and this made call the ‘urological icons’, such as John Wickham, who me humbler. I know what it is like to be a patient was a pioneer of extracorporeal shock-wave and to depend on your treating physician. That lithotripsy and laparoscopic nephrectomy. Being a made me work even harder for the patient. When I radiologist, I am the first non-urologist who is feel that the interest of the patient is at stake, I can granted this award. It is very special to get this kind of be a source of annoyance to my colleagues.” distinction from clinicians. This is a huge appreciation for and promotion of imaging. And that was my This determination has brought Prof. Barentsz, motivation to start in radiology: to promote imaging.” professor of radiology and chair of the Prostate MRI Reference Center at the Radboudumc in Nijmegen “I have been awarded the royal (NL), the EAU Innovators in Urology Award. This award was originally scheduled to be bestowed at decoration of Knight in the Order of EAU20 in Amsterdam and was eventually given to the Lion of the Netherlands. But the Prof. Barentsz in the build-up to EAU21 Virtual. The award is presented in recognition of the EAU Innovators in Urology Award is importance of inventions and clinical contributions an even more important prize to me with a major impact on the treatment and/or diagnosis of a urological disease. Prof. Barentsz than that.” won this award because of his ground-breaking achievements in functional and molecular imaging Not your or my but our patient in the field of prostate cancer MRI. He and his team That motivation stemmed from Prof. Barentsz’ were responsible for the introduction of the experiences with colleagues who “didn’t recognise the Prostate Imaging - Reporting and Data System important impact imaging had on the treatment options for the patient.” “Many clinicians, especially (PI-RADS), which is now considered best practice in prostate MRI and has found its way in clinical twenty to thirty years ago, did not appreciate guidelines across the world, including the EAU radiology,” he remembers. “Urologists were opposed to the idea to use MRI to detect clinically significant Guidelines. prostate cancer. Some of them still are. To them I like to say: why are you against this? I “Imaging can help clinicians find a would personally only care about what I can do for the way in the dark; it is a road map.” patient. This patient is not yours or mine; this is our patient. Consider what we can do for them if we collaborate with a mind open to new ideas. I am “MRI imaging has a huge positive effect on the treatment of the patient. It decreases side effects having a lot of discussions with prostate cancer patient and increases the chances of cure,” Prof. Barentsz societies, and they really want MRI. Imaging is one
scanners to support the guidelines. We are working on that in the Radiological Society of the Netherlands (NVvR). The hurdles are financial and quality ones. The financial issue can be solved with the help of hospital directors, healthcare providers, insurance companies, and politicians. There needs to be a shift of money to MRI. As for the quality issue, we need to educate more radiologists using accreditation and certification. We are working on all of this, and the blueprints are there. For instance, the NVvR will soon discuss how to implement good-quality MRI with the Dutch Association of Urology (NVU) and the Dutch Association for Prostate Cancer Patients (PKS).”
“This patient is not yours or mine; this is our patient. Consider what we can do for them if we collaborate with a mind open to new ideas.” Many more developments are afoot – such as early detection of prostate cancer and the use of artificial intelligence in this (also see page 37) – but Prof. Barentsz cannot help but notice he is piece of the puzzle in a patient’s journey, a piece that is “gradually moving toward the age where people just as important as the treatment. Imaging can help say you have to retire.” But: “Fortunately, all those clinicians find a way in the dark; it is a road map. That developments are not beyond but in front of the is my ultimate goal for imaging; that it is recognised as horizon. And I may be able to shift the horizon a bit this important piece of the puzzle by all clinicians. further away from me.” Receiving this prize from the world-leading association in urology is a huge step toward achieving this.” Visit the EAU21 Congress Platform and watch Quality assurance the video of Prof. Frans Debruyne (BE) Another huge step would be a quality assurance for bestowing the EAU Innovators in Urology prostate MRI throughout Europe. Prof. Barentsz: “In Award on Prof. Barentsz! many hospitals the MRI isn’t good enough. In my country the Netherlands, we don’t have enough MRI Prof. Jelle Barentsz
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patients
with bladder cancer may be undertreated after cystoscopy.1,2 Visit the Photocure page at EAU to learn how you can change this for your patients by scanning the QR code or going to https://virtual.uroweb.org/virtual/eau21/industry/171. 1. Geavlete B et al. BJU Int 2012; 109: 549–556. 2. Jocham D et al. J Urol 2005; 174: 862–866. Job code: 2106-164-HA-EU. Date of preparation: June 2021.
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