ENDO 2026 Congress – 24-26 September 2026

DAY 1

Conference Day 1 | Thursday, 24 September 2026

Venue: Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC)

Session 3 theme: ASSA – Breast: Contemporary Breast Surgery: Evidence, Technique, Decision-Making and Debates

Chairpersons: Shenaaz Ismail and Fatima Hoosain

Session theme summary:

The session opens with a look at sentinel lymph node biopsy and who still needs it, followed by Prof Apffelstaedt’s talk on how postoperative radiotherapy influences surgical decision-making. Two live debates close out the session: whether “no tumour on ink” is a sufficient margin for all breast cancer subtypes, and whether contralateral prophylactic mastectomy provides genuine benefit, followed by panel discussion and audience questions.

Prof Justus Apffelstaedt’s time and topic

13:45 – 14:00

The influence of postoperative radiotherapy on surgical decision-making

Prof Justus Apffelstaedt, Specialist Surgeon, Apffelstaedt, Hoosain & Associates

Session 4 theme: ASSA – Endocrine

Chairpersons: Ilna Conradie and Lydia Cairncross

Session theme summary:

The endocrine session covers updates to thyroid cancer management, recurrent laryngeal nerve safety without intra-operative nerve monitoring, when general surgeons should suspect and refer for MEN syndromes and hyperparathyroidism, and closes with a look at the role of molecular testing in thyroid nodules in South Africa.

Dr Fatima Hoosain’s time and topic

14:45 – 15:03

Updates on the 2025 ATA guidelines and management of well-differentiated thyroid cancer

Dr Fatima Hoosain, Specialist Surgeon, Apffelstaedt, Hoosain & Associates

(Dr Hoosain also co-chairs Session 3: ASSA – Breast, alongside Shenaaz Ismail.)