| ONE
YEAR FELLOWSHIP IN LAPARASCOPIC AND ROBOTIC SURGERY
OF THE PROSTATE.
Mr Declan Murphy, FRCS With Professor Costello at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia |
 |
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, accounting for 33,000 new diagnoses and 10,000 deaths per annum. For cancer confined to the prostate, there are a number of treatment options, of which surgery (radical prostatectomy) offers a high chance of cure.
However radical prostatectomy through a traditional open-surgery incision has a considerable impact on patients, not just around the time of surgery, but also in the long-term with regard to continence and potency. It is not uncommon for patients to require a blood transfusion, hospital stay averages 3-5 days, 3 months may be required before returning to work, and the majority of patients lose the ability to have erections.
As with many other surgical procedures, “keyhole surgery” techniques have been developed to minimize the impact of such surgery on a patient’s recovery. It is possible to perform laparoscopic radical prostatectomy via 5 tiny incisions with a much faster recovery time. The blood transfusion rate is less than 2% and 80% of patients are discharged the day after surgery. It is also possible to enhance this type of surgery further using a surgical robot (the da Vinci™ surgical system). However, this type of surgery is technically demanding and requires intensive training. At present, it is only offered in a handful of centres nationwide, including Guy’s Hospital, where I have spent the past 2 years. The training of further surgeons will allow more patients to benefit from this type of “keyhole surgery”.
To achieve the skills necessary to deliver this service at the highest level, a period spent in an overseas centre of excellence is highly recommended. I have been fortunate to secure a one year Fellow post at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia, commencing July 2007. This will allow me to develop my laparoscopic and robotic skills further, and also to participate in an exciting research programme. I will therefore be able to offer these procedures to men in the UK following my return as a consultant urological surgeon in 2008.
End of Term report for Travelling Fellowship
- PUK G2006/15
The outcome of this travelling training fellowship can be viewed
in the Final Report here, which is in .pdf format.
Training final report, 29 May 2008.
Project 2006/15