Urology Oncology

The Department of Urology has been instrumental in developing the field of transperineal targeted prostate biopsy, the current gold standard of prostate biopsy, being the co-inventor of the internationally-acclaimed robotic prostate biopsy platform - iSR’obot Mona Lisa thanks to Prof Christopher Cheng, Assoc Prof John Yuen and Assoc Prof Henry Ho. This platform allows biopsy of the prostate through just 2 precise skin punctures, additionally, using advanced software assistance to harness information from both real-time ultrasound of the prostate as well as a pre-biopsy prostate MRI to achieve a more accurate and safer biopsy. The close partnership and vast experience of our dedicated radiologists and biopsy team over the years has contributed to a seamless clinical diagnostic pathway ensuring diagnostic accuracy at an international standard.

Focal therapy is an emerging treatment approach where only part of the prostate gland that harbours aggressive cancer is treated, sparing the remaining healthy prostate gland and surrounding vital structures. This treatment allows patients to avoid the side effects of radical prostatectomy and radiation. We are one of the few genitourinary cancer centres in Asia offering focal therapy for prostate cancer.

The treatment landscape of patients with late stage prostate cancer has evolved tremendously in recent years fuelled by improved understanding of the disease and the development of several novel life-prolonging therapies. Therefore, patients are now living longer and consequently, are also faced with a different set of problems related to polypharmacy, detrimental effects of hormone suppression, as well as psychosocial burden. The metastatic prostate cancer clinic works closely not just with the stalwarts of cancer care at this stage – medical and radiation oncologists – to rationalise treatment, but also involves allied health professionals like pharmacists, nurses and physiotherapists in the ecosystem to provide a more holistic care for such patients to ensure not just longer years but also quality years.

The Department of Urology is a pioneer in robotic surgeries being one of the first in Asia to perform robotic surgery for prostate cancer when the Da Vinci Surgical System was first introduced to Asia in 2003. Since then the department has amassed a wealth of experience in robotic surgery for bladder, kidney and prostate cancers over the years, leading advancements in surgical techniques along the way for robotic cystectomies, robotic prostatectomies as well as robotic partial nephrectomies.