For the first time in Australia, surgeons at Epworth have used a new scanner that helps visualise the entire tumour during prostate cancer surgery – supporting the precise removal of cancerous tissue while protecting surrounding nerves.
Joe Giacobello was among the first to benefit from this new Histolog technology, introduced by the E.J. Whitten Centre for Prostate Cancer Research at Epworth. Joe is now recovering after undergoing surgery at Epworth Freemasons.
Epworth urologists, Prof Nathan Lawrentschuk and A/Prof Marlon Perera, say the scanner helps them strike a crucial surgical balance – removing as much of the prostate as needed while preserving nerves that support quality of life.
"We want to take out as much prostate as we can to cure the patient but leave enough nerves behind that they have good function afterwards," said Prof Lawrentschuk, Director of the E.J. Whitten Centre for Prostate Cancer Research at Epworth.
This breakthrough is made possible thanks to the support of the Epworth Medical Foundation and our generous donor community.
