Dr Malcolm Dewar
Urological Cancer Surgeon
Dr Malcolm Dewar is a specialist urological surgeon and fellowship-trained urological cancer surgeon. His aim is to deliver exceptional patient-centred, evidence-based care to all his patients
Training and teaching
Dr Dewar is the only formally fellowship-trained urologic cancer surgeon in the Western Cape
Training and teaching
Dr Dewar is the only formally fellowship-trained urologic cancer surgeon in the Western Cape
After obtaining his MBChB degree, Dr Dewar spent more than eight years working primarily in surgical disciplines, including more than three years as a registrar in general surgery at UCT, before changing to urology. He therefore started his urological training with extensive knowledge and skills in open and minimally invasive surgery. This positioned him well to take full advantage of his training in urological surgery, and to stoke his interest in the often-complex surgical management of urological cancers. This then led to his pursuing a Society of Urologic Oncology fellowship in Canada from 2016 to 2018. The society is a subsidiary of the American Urological Association and is the foremost structured uro-oncology program worldwide..
Open and robotic radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer.
Open and robotic partial nephrectomy, and open and laparoscopic nephrectomy for kidney cancer, including surgery for IVC tumour thrombus.
Radical cystectomy for invasive bladder cancer, with ileal conduit and orthotopic neobladder formation.
Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for advanced testicular cancer.
Inguinal lymph node dissection for advanced penile cancer.
Other surgeries, such as nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial cancers, and adrenalectomy for adrenal tumours.
Dr Dewar is one of only two urologists in South Africa to have completed a formal uro-oncology fellowship program, and the only one practicing in the Western Cape. It was this special skill set that allowed him to join Cape Urology, the oldest and most well-established urological practice in South Africa. In the years since then (2018), he has been able to focus a good deal of his practice on management of cancers. He now performs more urological cancer surgery than most urologists nation-wide.
Robotic training
Training in robotic surgery is an essential component of the SUO urologic oncology training program. LHSC was the first centre to perform robotic surgery in Canada, back in 2004. Dr Dewar completed his console training course in Atlanta, Georgia and was then privileged to be trained by Dr Stephen Pautler, the highest volume robotic surgeon in Ontario, as well as Dr Joseph Chin, the surgeon who performed the first robotic prostatectomy in Canada. Dr Dewar is the only South African urologist to undergo his robotic training in North America, and the only South African to have overseas robotic training within a formal fellowship.
In 2023, Dr Dewar travelled to three different high volume robotic centres in France, Belgium, and the UK to learn more about robot-assisted radical cystectomy. He also completed a hands-on robotic radical cystectomy course at the prestigious ORSI Academy, where he was individually mentored by Dr Alex Mottrie and Dr Henk van der Poel. Dr Dewar is the only South African surgeon to have completed such a course. In early 2024, he completed a series of proctored cystectomy cases at Groote Schuur Hospital under Dr Frederiek D’Hondt from Aalst in Belgium.
Dr Dewar is a fully certified robotic surgeon, certified to perform robotic prostate, kidney, and bladder surgery, and he operates at Kingsbury Hospital on the Da Vinci Xi surgical robot.
Senior Lecturer in the Division of Urology at the University of Cape Town
Dr Dewar participates in the urologic oncology theatre for a full day every second week at Groote Schuur Hospital, mentoring the trainees and medical students, and teaching uro-oncology surgery to the next generation of urologists. This, in conjunction with his cases in private practice, enables him to maintain a high case load in these complex surgeries.
His involvement at the University of Cape Town also allows him to participate in academic meetings, registrar examinations, and clinical research. At Groote Schuur Hospital, Dr Dewar operates on the Da Vinci Xi surgical system there. He leads the robotic surgery training program, teaching robotic surgery to other specialist urologists and senior urology trainees. He is also the lead surgeon in the robotic radical cystectomy program at that hospital.
The Importance of Subspecialty Training and Surgical Case Volume
It has been consistently shown in the literature that surgeons performing complex surgery, especially cancer surgery, have significantly improved oncological results, reduced hospital stay, and lower complication rates when they have undergone subspecialty fellowship training, have high-volume case loads, and operate at higher volume centres.
As a leading urology centre, Kingsbury performs more robotic prostatectomies, radical cystectomies, retroperitoneal lymph node dissections, and partial nephrectomies than any other centre in the Western Cape. The small, dedicated team, the well-established protocols and cumulative experience make for excellent outcomes.