Overlake names Thomas Takayama, MD Program Director for Prostate Cancer

Thomas Takayama, MD, an expert in urologic cancer surgery and a physician at Bellevue Urology, has been named Program Director for Prostate Cancer at Overlake Hospital Medical Center.

In addition to his clinical practice, Takayama is also a well-known prostate cancer researcher, including acting as the lead investigator on studies funded by the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense and American Cancer Society.

Before joining Overlake, Takayama served as Associate Professor in Urology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He earned his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston and completed his urology residency and urologic oncology fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Takayama routinely performs robotic-assisted procedures including laparoscopic radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer and laparoscopic surgery, including radiofrequency-ablation, for kidney cancer.

“Dr. Takayama brings tremendous leadership and expertise to Overlake’s Surgical Services team as we develop our robotic surgery program for the benefit of prostate cancer patients,” said David Schultz, Overlake’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “His depth of experience – both in the research lab and the operating room – will enable Overlake to use the latest cancer research and technology most effectively.”

Overlake acquired a da Vinci (robotics-assisted) Surgical System this past January. The state-of-the-art system provides surgeons with all the clinical and technical capabilities of traditional open surgery while enabling them to operate through tiny incisions.

The system offers a detailed 3-D view of the surgical field. Its four robotic arms act like an extension of the surgeon’s hands while also providing a greater range of motion that’s not possible with the human hand.

Multiple patient benefits include smaller incisions, reduced blood loss, less post-operative pain and discomfort and faster recovery times. The system is currently used to treat those with urologic and gynecologic health concerns.

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