Most advice about choosing prostate cancer surgery focuses on the individual surgeon, and for good reason. Yet no surgeon works alone. The hospital, the theatre team, the specialist nurses and the support you receive after leaving hospital all shape your results. When you look for the best prostate cancer surgeon in the UK, it helps to look at the whole team behind them as well.
Specialist focus comes first
The starting point is still a surgeon with deep, focused experience in prostate cancer. Look for someone whose practice centres on urological cancer, who has completed fellowship training and who stays involved in research or teaching. These signs suggest a surgeon who keeps up with the evidence. Professor Dasgupta's academic achievements give an example of this kind of long-term involvement.
The hospital and its facilities
Where your operation takes place matters almost as much as who performs it. Useful questions about a hospital include:
- Does it have a dedicated urology ward and specialist nursing staff?
- Is robotic surgery performed there regularly?
- Is there a high dependency unit if extra monitoring is needed?
- What support is available after discharge?
Centres that carry out many prostate operations tend to have stronger systems in place, from pre-operative assessment through to follow-up. Professor Dasgupta operates at The London Clinic, and our page on robotic prostatectomy describes what the operation involves.
The theatre team
Robotic surgery relies on a skilled team around the surgeon, including anaesthetists, theatre nurses and surgical assistants. Teams who work together on prostate operations every week are more efficient and better prepared if anything unexpected happens. It is reasonable to ask whether the same team usually works together. Ask, too, who will look after you on the ward during the first night after your operation.
Multidisciplinary review
Before any treatment, every case should be discussed by a multidisciplinary team, as set out in NICE guidance on prostate cancer. This review brings together urologists, oncologists, radiologists and pathologists to agree the most suitable plan. It also means options such as active surveillance and radiotherapy are considered properly, not just surgery. Our overview of prostate cancer treatment explains these options.
Nursing and rehabilitation support
Recovery continues long after you leave hospital. Specialist nurses help with catheter care, continence products and practical questions. Pelvic floor exercises, ideally started before surgery, support the return of bladder control, and some men benefit from specialist physiotherapy or erectile rehabilitation.
Ask what support is included, who you contact with concerns and how follow-up is arranged. Our guide to recovery after prostate cancer surgery explains what the first weeks and months usually involve.
Openness about results
Surgeons and hospitals who share their results are showing accountability. Ask about continence and erectile function outcomes, positive margin rates and complication rates. Hospital results across England and Wales are reported by the National Prostate Cancer Audit, which gives useful context for any figures you are given.
How you are treated as a person
Finally, notice how the whole team communicates with you. Are you given clear information, time to ask questions and a named contact? Feeling supported and informed makes a real difference to how you experience treatment. Small things, such as returning calls promptly, often reflect how well a team is organised.
Putting it together
The best care combines an experienced specialist with a strong hospital, a practised team and reliable support after surgery. No single factor tells the whole story, but together they give a clear picture of the care you can expect.
To find out more about how Professor Dasgupta and his team would care for you, please get in touch.