Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs

Do I need a referral to see Professor Murphy?

Yes. You need a referral from either your GP or another specialist so that you can access Medicare rebates for consultations and any surgical procedures. International patients do not need a local referral but we do need full details of previous investigations.

Does Professor Murphy specialise in prostate cancer?

Yes, Prof Murphy is extremely specialised in all aspects of prostate cancer. This includes men who are concerned about their risk of prostate cancer, right through to patients with advanced prostate cancer requiring multidisciplinary care. Prof Murphy is an international key opinion leader in prostate cancer and has hundreds of publications in this area.

Is Professor Murphy a high-volume prostate cancer surgeon?

Yes for sure. Prof Murphy is one of the very few surgeons who performs more than 150 robotic radical prostatectomies per year. He can only do this as his surgical practice at Cancer Specialists and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre is almost entirely focussed on prostate cancer. He spends more than 90% of his time in the operating room performing either robotic radical prostatectomy or transperineal prostate biopsy. It is well accepted that patient outcomes are best when complex surgery such as radical prostatectomy is performed by high-volume surgeons.

Does Prof Murphy look after general urological conditions?

No. Professor Murphy is highly specialised in urological cancers, prostate cancer in particular. However his urology consultant colleague at Cancer Specialists, Dr Renu Eapen, looks after many general urological conditions. Please call and discuss with our team if you are unsure.

Does Prof Murphy perform transperineal or transrectal prostate biopsy

Professor Murphy only performs transperineal prostate biopsy. This has been his exclusive practice since 2007 and he has been a global voice encouraging others to discontinue transrectal biopsy. Read more here.

Do I need to have private health insurance?

You do not need to have private health insurance to see Professor Murphy at Cancer Specialists. However, private health insurance is important if a surgical procedure is to be undertaken at Epworth Richmond. Patients without private health insurance who require a surgical procedure can be booked onto the waiting list at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (presuming they are Medicare-eligible).

Will I need to pay a gap for surgery with Professor Murphy?

Yes. Private health insurance and Medicare rebates do not fully cover most surgical fees in Professor Murphy’s practice. Our administrative team at Cancer Specialists will give a detailed financial consent prior to any surgical procedure.

Does Professor Murphy do telehealth consultations?

Yes, Prof Murphy is an enthusiastic supporter of telehealth at both Cancer Specialists and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. At Cancer Specialists he uses Zoom or Skype for most consultations. Please discuss with the team at Cancer Specialists when making your appointment.

Does Professor Murphy work in a multidisciplinary team?

Yes, multidisciplinary care is integral to how we provide Best Care for our patients. Professor Murphy is Director of Genitourinary Oncology at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and leads the multidisciplinary (MDT) team there. Select patients from Cancer Specialists are discussed at the weekly MDT meeting at Peter Mac.

Does Professor Murphy see patients for second opinions?

Yes. The majority of Professor Murphy’s patients are those seeking second or third opinions. In particular, patients who are seeking options for management of newly-diagnosed prostate cancer make up the majority of Professor Murphy’s practice. He also sees many patients with recurrent prostate cancer or with advanced prostate cancer at the time of diagnosis.

Can patients from outside Melbourne be treated by Professor Murphy?

Yes, Professor Murphy’s practice includes prostate cancer patients from all over Australia. Patients opting for robotic prostatectomy can opt for surgery at either Epworth Healthcare Richmond, or through the public health system at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

I am an international patient; can I have a consultation with Professor Murphy?

Yes. Professor Murphy looks after many International patients. Initial consultations are performed using Zoom or Skype. Surgery is performed at Epworth Hospital. Please contact us for more details.

Where does Professor Murphy perform surgery?

Professor Murphy performs surgery at Epworth Healthcare, Richmond, directly across the street from his rooms at Cancer Specialists. He also performs surgery in the public healthcare system at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Parkville.

What surgical robots does Professor Murphy use to perform robotic prostatectomy?

Professor Murphy uses state-of-the-art da Vinci Xi surgical robots at both Epworth Healthcare and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. In the past, he has used all generations of da Vinci surgical robots including the da Vinci Si, the da Vinci S HD, and both the 4-arm and the original 3-arm da Vinci Standard robots. Although amazing at the time, the robots he used back in 2004 seem very primitive compared to what he uses now. In fact, one of these is at the Science Museum in Melbourne and looks truly antiquated! “It’s like going from an old Nokia to the latest iPhone in terms of technology”, says Professor Murphy.

Does Professor Murphy perform nerve-sparing surgery?

Yes, Professor Murphy is extremely experienced at performing nerve-sparing surgery in appropriate cases. He has published extensively on the anatomy and techniques of nerve-sparing surgery and has lectured on this topic all over the world. He has also performed live surgery as Visiting Professor around the world to demonstrate optimal nerve-sparing surgery techniques.

Can I see examples of Professor Murphy performing prostate cancer surgery?

Prof Murphy regularly demonstrates robotic prostatectomy techniques at urology conferences and also as part of live surgery demonstrations such as the World Robotic Surgery Events. You can see many narrated and unedited examples of him performing robotic prostatectomy on his Youtube channel

Does Professor Murphy contribute data to the Prostate Cancer Outcomes Registry (PCOR)?

Yes as a high-volume prostate cancer surgeon, Professor Murphy has contributed data to PCOR continuously since 2010. He is on the Steering Committee of PCOR Victoria and has published many papers from the Registry.

Does Professor Murphy look after patients on active surveillance for prostate cancer?

Yes Professor Murphy has a longstanding interest in active surveillance and has published many papers on this topic. He has hundreds of patients on active surveillance in his practices at Cancer Specialists and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Read more here.

Does Professor Murphy look after patients with metastatic (advanced) prostate cancer?

Yes, Professor Murphy is very interested not just in early prostate cancer, but also in prostate cancer which has spread beyond the prostate. He has published many papers on this topic and has many ongoing research projects for men with advanced prostate cancer. Professor Murphy works with a multidisciplinary team of medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians, nurses and allied health professionals to provide best care for all of our men with prostate cancer.