Keyhole prostate cancer surgery a first

For the first time in Australia a man has been cleared of prostate cancer through intricate keyhole surgery.

Charles Walsh, 67, of Melbourne, volunteered for the three-hour surgery by urologists Associate Professor Damien Bolton and Dr Yee Chan, with the assistance of visiting French Professor Claude Abbou, at the Austin Hospital.

Bolton said the new procedure, practised in Europe for about three years, required only a 12mm incision rather than the usual 8-10cm cut.