It is our pleasure to welcome you to the 9^th International PacRim Breast and Prostate Cancer Meeting (14-19 October 2026).

The 9th PacRim Breast and Prostate Cancer Meeting will bring together international leaders in breast and prostate cancer research for an interactive scientific program within the World Heritage-listed Cradle of Humankind region.

The meeting will combine:

• high-level scientific exchange,
• focused discussion sessions,
• trainee engagement,
• unique South African cultural experiences, and
• opportunities for networking in a relaxed boutique environment.

The meeting will be held at the outstanding Cradle Boutique Hotel: https://cradlehotel.co.za/, located less than a one-hour drive from Johannesburg OR Tambo airport and approximately 20 minutes from Lanseria domestic airport. The surrounding region offers access to a number of exceptional game parks and lodges, including Pilanesberg, Welgevonden (Waterberg Mountains), Madikwe, and Mabula, all within a 2.5 hour drive.

The Cradle Boutique Hotel, located within the beautiful Cradle of Humankind region, offers an exceptional integrated conference environment with excellent meeting facilities, multiple event spaces, and truly first-class accommodation.
It combines boutique luxury with spectacular natural surroundings and wildlife experiences, while retaining the distinctive South African cultural atmosphere that has been central to the vision of the 2026 PacRim meeting.

In addition to the 4.5-5-star rooms at Cradle Boutique itself, we have secured outstanding overflow accommodation at the Toadbury Hall Country Hotel: https://toadbury.co.za/. Toadbury Hall is a stunning 5-star country estate approximately 10 minutes from the conference venue, with beautiful grounds and excellent dining facilities. We are planning one of the conference dinners there.

Highlights of the meeting include the Ron Ross and Rob Sutherland Awards, which are presented to an outstanding senior and early/mid-career scientist, respectively. These awards are made in recognition of the seminal scientific contributions and mentoring of trainees by Ron Ross and Rob Sutherland in the field of hormone-dependent cancers. We congratulate all nominees/applicants for this year’s awards.

The Great Debate is another highlight of the PacRim meeting series. For those who have not been to a PacRim meeting, this is not necessarily a serious academic debate, but one designed to address the topic, be provocative and have fun. Teams are very creative with their arguments, props, and musical numbers. Cal Roskelley started the trend of needing a debate winning song at the 2007 PacRim meeting in Whistler, when he appeared with a guitar as the last member of the “For” team and performed an original composition titled “If I had a million base pairs”. Karen Knudsen’s team lost that debate, and Karen spent 3 years writing 2 songs to ensure her team won the following PacRim debate. No pressure on the Teams this year!

One particularly exciting experience in the 2026 program is a visit to the Nelson Mandela Foundation: https://www.nelsonmandela.org/.

This will be combined with a special conference dinner at Sanctuary Mandela: https://sanctuarymandela.com/.
Sanctuary Mandela was President Mandela’s residence following his presidency, and has now been transformed into an extraordinary boutique hotel and dining experience in Johannesburg. We believe this will be one of the highlights of the coming meeting.

South Africa itself is extraordinary. For those travelling internationally, we strongly encourage considering additional travel before or after the meeting, including game parks, Stellenbosch wine country, and Cape Town. We would be very happy to suggest options for those interested.

We hope the 9th PacRim Meeting, held for the first time on the African continent, will challenge existing paradigms, stimulate new ideas, and foster meaningful global collaborations. We encourage all participants to actively engage in the interactive discussions and networking opportunities, which provide a unique environment to connect with colleagues, exchange perspectives, and build lasting scientific partnerships.

Finally, but not least, thanks to all participants, without whom this meeting would not exist. We thank Donita Africander, Karl Storbeck, Casey Peters and Marie Pickering who were integral to the organisation of this year’s meeting, everyone who advised on the program, and our judges.

Wayne Tilley
Dame Roma Mitchell Cancer Research Laboratories
Adelaide University

On behalf of the PacRim 2026 Organising Committee.