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Urology Research

The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Urology department is an institution of surgical and academic excellence focused on achieving the best possible outcomes for our patients whilst fostering world class research and pushing the boundaries of what is possible in urological surgery. The Urology department is committed to an evidence-based approach to patient care and strives to advance the field through high quality research. It is a quaternary referral centre for the most complex open urological procedures including retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for testicular cancer and caval thrombectomy and reconstruction for advanced kidney cancer. 

Our experienced surgeons have a diverse range of interests including minimally invasive procedures, complex open oncological surgery and major reconstructive surgery. RPA is one of the few public hospitals offering robotic surgery, and there is ongoing recruitment in to randomised controlled trials of patients undergoing robotic prostatectomy for prostate cancer, robotic partial nephrectomy for kidney cancer and robotic bladder cancer surgery. These trials have attracted competitive funding which has in turn enhanced research output within the unit. 

Our Key Research Themes

  • Urological surgical techniques
  • Cellular function of prostate cancer
  • Outcome of robotic-assisted surgery of partial nephrectomy and radical prostatectomy
  • Robotic node dissection

Our Research Team

Dr David Eisinger Head of Department, Urological and Transplant Surgeon
Associate Professor Scott Leslie Urological, Transplant and Robotic Surgeon & Research Lead
Dr John Boulas Urological and Transplant Surgeon
Professor Paul Sved Uro-oncologist and Robotic Surgeon
Dr Arthur Vasilaras Urological, Transplant and Robotic Surgeon
Dr Nicola Jeffery Urological and Reconstructive Surgeon
Kevin Ancog Urology Clinical Nurse Consultant
Dr Juliette Cotte Urological and Surgical Robotics Research Fellow 
Dhiya Suresh Surgical Robotics Research Officer

Our Publications

2024

Li A, Stanislaus CT, Steffens D, McBride KE, Leslie S, Thanigasalam R, Cunich M. Prospective cohort study investigating quality of life outcomes following multi-speciality robotic-assisted surgery. J Minim Access Surg. 2024 Jan 1;20(1):37-46. doi: 10.4103/jmas.jmas_253_22. Epub 2023 Apr 13.
McClintock G, Goolam AS, Perera D, Downey R, Leslie S, Grimison P, Woo H, Ferguson P, Ahmadi N. Robotic-assisted retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for stage II testicular cancer. Asian J Urol. 2024 Jan;11(1):121-127. doi: 10.1016/j.ajur.2022.03.010. Epub 2022 Jul 30. 
Jackson SR, Yu P, Armany D, Occhipinti S, Chambers S, Leslie S, Patel MI. eHealth literacy in prostate cancer: A systematic review. Patient Educ Couns. 2024 Jun;123:108193. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2024.108193. Epub 2024 Feb 7. 
van Kessel CS, Palma CA, Solomon MJ, Leslie S, Jeffery N, Lee PJ, Austin KKS. Comparison of urological outcomes and quality of life after pelvic exenteration: partial vs radical cystectomy. BJU Int. 2024 Apr;133 Suppl 4:53-63. doi: 10.1111/bju.16299. Epub 2024 Feb 20.
Ephraums J, Brown KGM, Solomon MJ, Austin KKS, Lee PJ, Leslie S, Byrne C. Pelvic exenteration for locally advanced and recurrent prostate cancer. Eur J Surg Oncol. 2024 Jul;50(7):108384. doi: 10.1016/j.ejso.2024.108384. Epub 2024 May 7. 
Sitharthan D, Sved P. A rare case of fatal rectal perforation and sepsis following traumatic urinary catheterization. Urol Case Rep. 2024 Mar 12;54:102706. doi: 10.1016/j.eucr.2024.102706.
Gibson D, Shanmugasundaram R, McClintock G, Pham C, Hutton A, Ahmadi N, Arianayagam M, Elmes M, Thanigasalam R, Doeuk N, Papadopoulos B, Ngo T, Rathore P, Rasiah K, Thompson J, Aslan P, Treacy PJ, Leslie S. Robotic-Assisted Bladder Diverticulectomy: Indications, Technique, and Outcomes-A Case Series. J Endourol. 2024 Oct;38(10):1013-1020. doi: 10.1089/end.2024.0209. Epub 2024 Jul 22. 
Sitharthan D, Kang S, Treacy PJ, Bird J, Alexander K, Karunaratne S, Leslie S, Chan L, Steffens D, Thanigasalam R. The Sensitivity and Specificity of Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography for Predicting Seminal Vesicle Invasion in Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer: A Multicenter Retrospective Study. J Clin Med. 2024 Jul 29;13(15):4424. doi: 10.3390/jcm13154424. 
Gibson D, Jackson S, Shanmugasundaram R, Seth I, Siu A, Ahmadi N, Kam J, Mehan N, Thanigasalam R, Jeffery N, Patel MI, Leslie S. Evaluating the Efficacy of ChatGPT as a Patient Education Tool in Prostate Cancer: Multimetric Assessment. J Med Internet Res. 2024 Aug 14;26:e55939. doi: 10.2196/55939.
Steffens D, Koh C, Hirst N, Cole R, Solomon MJ, Nguyen-Lal L, Thanigasalam R, Leslie S, Ahmadi N. Prehabilitation in patients undergoing bladder cancer surgery - A systematic review and meta-analysis. Can J Urol. 2024 Oct;31(5):12004-12012. 
Mallawaarachchi AC, Hort Y, Wedd L, Lo K, Senum S, Toumari M, Chen W, Utsiwegota M, Mawson J, Leslie S, Laurence J, Anderson L, Snelling P, Salomon R, Rangan GK, Furlong T, Shine J, Cowley MJ. Somatic mutation in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease revealed by deep sequencing human kidney cysts. NPJ Genom Med. 2024 Dec 19;9(1):69. doi: 10.1038/s41525-024-00452-6. 
Virk A, Treacy PJ, Zhong W, Jackson S, Jeffery N, Chan L, Sved P, Vasilaras A, Thanigasalam R, Leslie S. Protocol for the RoboSling Trial: A Randomised Study Assessing Urinary Continence Following Robotic Radical Prostatectomy with or without an Intraoperative Retropubic Vascularised Fascial Sling (RoboSling). SIUJ. 2024 Apr 17;5(2):148–159. doi:10.3390/siuj5020024.

In Sydney Local Health District, we acknowledge that we are living and working on Gadigal, Wangal and Bediagal land, part of the EORA Nation. We pay our respect to all elders past, present and emerging. Our vision is to have the healthiest Aboriginal community in Australia.

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