Oncologist Prof. Dr. Yüksel Ürün Discusses His Career Journey and Work-Life Balance

In this installment of The ASCO Post's Living a Full Life series, guest editor Dr. Jame Abraham interviewed one of Turkey's leading medical oncologists, Prof. Dr. Yüksel Ürün , about his clinical and research career in oncology. Dr. Ürün is a Professor of Medicine at Ankara University Faculty of Medicine in Turkey.

This article is a translation of the article published in The ASCO Post on 27 November 2024, titled "Genitourinary Cancer Expert Yüksel Ürün, MD, Shares His Career Journey and the Importance of Achieving a Work/Life Balance".

After completing a postdoctoral research fellowship in genitourinary cancers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 2012-2013, Dr. Ürün returned to Turkey and established the Turkish Oncology Group Kidney Cancer Consortium Database. Drawing on more than 15 cancer centers across Turkey, it currently includes approximately 1,500 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma . A leading researcher in genitourinary cancers, Dr. Ürün has published more than 150 peer-reviewed articles, presentations, and book chapters. He is also a member of many national and international oncology organizations, including ASCO, the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Genito-Urinary Cancer Group, and the Advanced Prostate Cancer Consensus Conference. Most recently, he was selected for ASCO's 2023-2024 Leadership Development Program and successfully completed the course.

Sharing Knowledge

Dr. Abraham asked Dr. Ürün about his active social media presence and interest in promoting diversity and equity in education and healthcare. Dr. Ürün shared these thoughts:

“What motivates me to post on social media is the feedback I receive from colleagues like you, telling me how useful the information I share is to them. Oncology has no borders. Cancer has no borders either. It affects people in every corner of the world. As oncologists, we have a responsibility to share knowledge and help colleagues practicing our profession everywhere. Ultimately, this will benefit our patients. That is the power of social media.”

Why Did He Choose Oncology?

Dr. Ürün was born in Kurtalan, a rural area of Turkey, and grew up in Aydın. At that time, local medical care was limited even for minor illnesses. People therefore had to travel long distances for both basic and intensive healthcare.

“I had been interested in medicine since childhood,” Dr. Ürün said, adding:

“From my first day of primary school, I always wanted to become a physician. Of course, my initial wish was to help my family, especially my mother. As I grew older, I began to understand how illness and disease affect almost everyone.”

Initially planning a career in internal medicine, Dr. Ürün changed his mind because of a personal encounter during his specialty training. “I met a young man with testicular cancer,” he recalled.

“At that time, my experience with cancer was largely limited to a few family members with very advanced, incurable disease. Their only option was palliative care.”

Dr. Ürün continued:

“After meeting this young patient, my supervisor gave me a copy of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines on Testicular Cancer. I had never seen such guidelines before, and reading them taught me that a cure was possible even at an advanced stage. This information transformed my thinking: even metastatic, advanced solid tumors could potentially be cured.”

Inspired by Testicular Cancer

Testicular cancer became a model disease for Dr. Ürün.

“I wrote my internal medicine thesis on testicular cancer and decided to specialize in genitourinary cancers,” he explained.

“I completed my medical oncology training at Ankara University, one of Turkey's most prestigious institutions. The experience broadened my horizons in every way, and my mentors were always supportive.”

• Related topic: Still Without a Mentor? What Is Mentoring?

Combining Clinical Practice and Research

In 2012, Dr. Ürün traveled to the United States for a fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

“The first things I noticed at Dana-Farber were its patient-centered care and emphasis on research and continuing education,” he recalled.

“My mentor then was Dr. Toni Choueiri, now Director of the Genitourinary Oncology Center at Dana-Farber, who also became my lifelong mentor and friend. I also met many leaders in genitourinary cancers, including Dr. Philip W. Kantoff, Mary-Ellen Taplin, and Christopher Sweeney. Under Toni's leadership, we became a large family in genitourinary oncology with friends from around the world, and we remain in touch.”

For Dr. Ürün, this early fellowship was an important opportunity to learn critical thinking and understand how to combine research with clinical practice.

“I learned to take a multidimensional perspective,” he said.

“And, of course, I saw a diverse workforce of highly talented medical professionals from across the world. This gave me a strong appreciation of the importance of building a global oncology network so that we can all develop our skills together.”

Returning to Turkey and Applying the Dana-Farber Experience

After the fellowship, Dr. Ürün decided to bring what he had learned at Dana-Farber back to Turkey. He added:

“One of the major lessons I took from Dana-Farber is that you cannot do everything at once, because human and financial resources are limited. Instead of complaining about what we lacked, I decided to do the best we could with what we had.”

Dr. Ürün continued:

“In 2016, we created the Turkish Oncology Group Kidney Cancer Consortium Database in honor of my mentor, Dr. Choueiri. As mentioned earlier, it currently includes approximately 1,500 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma from more than 15 cancer centers across Turkey, and we are expanding it as new centers join.”

“Of course, there are data we can obtain from clinical trials ,” he added,
“but we know clinical trials alone cannot provide all the answers we need. Epidemiological data can teach us a great deal about disease patterns, giving us a chance to improve patient care.”

Being Part of the Global Cancer Community

Dr. Ürün briefly reflected on his role as Professor of Medicine at Ankara University Faculty of Medicine in Turkey.

“We have a comprehensive multidisciplinary oncology team with specialists from many fields, including surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and pathologists. Patients come here from across Turkey and even other parts of the world to receive the best oncology care.”

Dr. Ürün added:

“We also conduct a strong program of clinical trials, including phase I studies, to offer additional treatment options to patients with advanced disease. I believe patients participating in clinical trials achieve better outcomes than those who do not. Publishing our findings, sharing our data with the world, and learning how to improve trial design are very important.”

Dr. Ürün also briefly described his efforts in global oncology:

“We have international research collaborations with Toni Choueiri at Dana-Farber and with other American and European cancer centers. We therefore feel part of the global oncology community and constantly consider how we can contribute to its development.”

The Cost of Cancer Care in Turkey

Dr. Abraham asked Dr. Ürün to explain the costs of cancer care in his country. Dr. Ürün replied:

“We have a government-supported universal health insurance system, and approximately 90% of the population has public insurance. Any cancer treatment, imaging, or laboratory test approved by the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency (TİTCK) is reimbursed by the government. Approved cancer treatments in public hospitals are therefore free for all patients.”

However, he noted that drugs approved in the United States can take 2 to 5 years to receive approval in Turkey.

“Clinical trials are therefore critical to early access to these treatments,” Dr. Ürün explained.

“For prostate cancer, for example, most new treatments such as abiraterone acetate, enzalutamide, and apalutamide have been approved by TİTCK and made available to patients. Of course, conventional chemotherapy such as doxorubicin and carboplatin/paclitaxel combinations has been approved and available for about ten years.”

Dr. Ürün continued:

“Unfortunately, new cancer treatments not yet approved by TİTCK are available only in pharmacies and are not reimbursed, so patients must pay out of pocket, and costs are very high for some. In general, however, essential cancer drugs on the World Health Organization's Essential Medicines List are available free of charge to most patients. Approval of new drugs can take time.”

Developing Leaders in Oncology

Dr. Abraham asked Dr. Ürün about his experience in ASCO's Leadership Development Program. He replied:

“First, I want to thank ASCO for this opportunity. ASCO invested considerable effort and resources in this program, and the experience was very special to me. I feel very fortunate to have been accepted. We do not learn leadership skills in medical school, but ultimately, being a good leader means offering patients the best treatment options. Good leadership means advocacy, honesty, and collaboration.”

Dr. Ürün also commented:

“The program broadened my vision. As a physician, you naturally treat each patient as an individual. In leadership, you learn how to improve care for many patients. The program offered opportunities for mentoring by ASCO leaders, involvement in ASCO committees, and a broader network. I now feel like one of ASCO's ambassadors in the region.”

Work-Life Balance

Dr. Abraham asked Dr. Ürün for his thoughts on the importance of work-life balance. He replied:

“Our energy is not unlimited. Sometimes we need to recharge to do our jobs better and avoid burnout. In my early years as an oncologist, I thought I needed to work harder to succeed. What I have learned throughout my life and during this leadership program is that you need a balance between professional and personal life. To me, success in life means being surrounded by loving family and friends who support you, share your joy, and stand by you in difficult times. Their warmth and encouragement bring balance, motivation, and meaning to both my work and personal life.”

Dr. Ürün also shared how he relaxes outside work:

“I enjoy reading and walking in nature. Being in nature is a great healer for me. Walking and feeling the wind on my face makes me feel reborn and brings peace to my soul. Focus on what you can do and run—toward your goals and for your health. Every step matters, literally and figuratively! This is how I cope with stress.”

Working Toward the Same Goals

Dr. Abraham asked whether Dr. Ürün had advice for young oncologists. He shared these thoughts:

“Dream big, live your dreams, and persevere—and do not worry about failure. If you do your best, there is no failure, and you will have contributed to the global oncology community.”

ASCO's Virtual Mentoring Program pairs members with mentors outside their institutions to address unmet career development needs among oncologists in training, those beginning practice, groups underrepresented in medicine, and women oncologists.

“My personal advice is not to be shy and to ask for help. We are all working toward the same goals,” Dr. Ürün said.