.
Senior male patient in hospital smiling at clinician

Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with over 40,000 new cases diagnosed every year. The East Kent Urology (EKU) Department at EKHUFT is a high volume centre in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.

The diagnosis of prostate cancer usually involves having a clinical examination, an MRI Scan of the prostate and biopsy of the prostate gland.

For further information on the diagnosis of prostate cancer https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/prostate-cancer/diagnosis/

The treatment of prostate cancer involves a team of experts including surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, pathologists and specialist nurses.

We work closely together and use a multidisciplinary approach to offer our patients individualised and specialised care bespoke to each patient.

We offer robotic surgery as well as radiotherapy and high dose rate brachytherapy.

Where indicated, and following full discussion with our patients, we refer selected patients for focal and ablative surgery at collaborative centres in London.

Read more about prostate cancer treatment here.

Following diagnosis and treatment a follow up plan will be implemented and will be overseen by your consultant.

It will take the form of clinic appointments either face to face or by telephone at regular intervals.

These appointments will be utilised to monitor your PSA level and any symptoms you may be experiencing after treatment.This process of regular appointments will continue for a minimum of two years after treatment but may last longer.

Alongside this standard follow up format, we will soon be launching a supported self-management pathway for patients. This will enable patients to access their blood results at home using an internet based system.

Patient’s will be empowered to monitor their own symptoms and health and will be able to communicate with their key worker through this system.

This has been piloted successfully in other hospitals and is a key initiative that NHS England is expecting all NHS trusts to offer.

East Kent Urology is one of the largest centres for robotic prostate surgery in the UK and in 2015, GIRFT recognised the robotic prostate service as being the highest volume centre per surgeon and having the shortest length of postoperative stay in the UK.

The service is also one of only five in the UK to be recognised as a Robotic Fellowship Training Centre in the UK by The Urology Foundation. In 2016 Kent & Canterbury Hospital became a centre of expertise in robotic urological surgery training under a scheme funded by The Urology Foundation. 

We also offer active surveillance in those men who are suitable for follow-up of their prostate cancer without treatment.

The team has an active research programme with academic staff conducting leading edge research with scientists in research laboratories at The School of Biosciences, University of Kent.  The team is also involved in running and participating in national and international clinical trials with an established track record in research and innovation.

Our prostate cancer service is dedicated to providing our patients with individualised and specialised care bespoke to each patient.

Consultant Robotic Urological Surgeons
Mr Ben Eddy 
Mr Edward Streeter 
Mr Sashi Kommu 

Consultant Clinical Oncologists 
Dr Carys Thomas
Dr Albert Edwards
Dr Rakesh Raman
Dr Patryk Brulinski

The Cancer Care Line

  Contact The Cancer Care Line:  01227 868666

 (Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm, Saturday and Sunday 8am - 4pm)

This is a central helpline for all patients who have come into contact with a Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialist or the Macmillan Acute Oncology Team. Not all people that are given this number have cancer, some maybe undergoing investigations to rule it out.

The people that answer your calls are not medically trained and in order for them to direct you to correct person/ team, they will ask for some clinical and personal information.

The Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialists run designated phone clinics, therefore if appropriate you will be booked onto the next available telephone clinic which may not be the same day. 

If the Cancer Care Line Co-ordinator's triage indicates you require urgent clinical advice, you will be put through to the specialist nurse of the day.