Roger Sinclair Kirby FRCS(Urol), FEBU (born November 1950) is a British retired prostate surgeon and professor of

urology Urology (from Greek οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and '' -logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the urinary-tract system and the reproductive org ...

, researcher, writer on

men's health ''Men's Health'' (''MH''), published by Hearst, is the world's largest men's magazine brand, with 35 editions in 59 countries. It is also the best-selling men's magazine on U.S. newsstands. Started as a men's health magazine by Rodale, Inc. ...

and

prostate The prostate is both an accessory gland of the male reproductive system and a muscle-driven mechanical switch between urination and ejaculation. It is found only in some mammals. It differs between species anatomically, chemically, and phys ...

disease, founding editor of the journal '' Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases'' and '' Trends in Urology and Men's Health'' and a fundraiser for prostate disease charities, best known for his use of the da Vinci surgical robot for laparoscopic prostatectomy in the treatment of prostate cancer. He is a co-founder and president of the charity The Urology Foundation (TUF), vice-president of the charity Prostate Cancer UK, trustee of the

King Edward VII's Hospital King Edward VII's Hospital (formal name: King Edward VII's Hospital Sister Agnes) is a private hospital located on Beaumont Street in the Marylebone district of central London. Agnes Keyser, later known as Sister Agnes, established the hospi ...

and as of 2020 is president of the

Royal Society of Medicine The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society in the United Kingdom, headquartered in London. History The Society was established in 1805 as Medical and Chirurgical Society of London, meeting in two rooms in barristers’ chamber ...

(RSM), London. Following his medical education and training at the St John's College, Cambridge and

Middlesex Hospital Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, England. First opened as the Middlesex Infirmary in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally clos ...

, London, and with a distinction in surgery, he took various surgical posts across England. In 1979 he gained fellowship of the

Royal College of Surgeons of England The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgical care for patients, and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wales. T ...

. His early research involved looking at how nerves work to control the muscles used to control passing urine, findings of which disproved the then held belief that retention of urine in some women was psychological, and work that contributed to gaining his MD in 1986. In the same year, he was both elected Hunterian professor with his lecture titled "The Investigation and Management of the Neurogenic Bladder", and appointed consultant urologist at

St Bartholomew's Hospital St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust. History Early history Barts was founded in 1123 by Rahere (die ...

, London. He later took over from John Wickham and subsequently became one of the first urologists in the UK to perform open radical prostatectomy for localised prostate cancers. In 1995, he became a professor of urology and Director of Postgraduate Education at St George's Hospital, London, and in 2005 he established The Prostate Centre in

Wimpole Street Wimpole Street is a street in Marylebone, central London. Located in the City of Westminster, it is associated with private medical practice and medical associations. No. 1 Wimpole Street is an example of Edwardian baroque architecture, comple ...

, London, with the purpose of offering minimally invasive laparoscopic prostatectomy with a more holistic approach, advising on a wide range of

, including diet and exercise. An advocate of monitoring one's own personal PSA level and having spent his surgical career researching and treating prostate cancer, he was diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer himself in 2012, and featured in the 2013 "Tale of Four Prostates", where he was one of four surgeons who freely discussed the diagnosis, treatment and its implications, with the aim of dispelling its surrounding taboos.

Early life and education

Roger Kirby was born in Buckinghamshire to Janet and Kenneth Kirby. His father was a professor of biochemistry and fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

who worked as head of cell chemistry at what was then called the Chester Beatty Research Institute. He died in 1967 at the age of 49, when Kirby was 16. He attended Berkhamsted School for Boys with his older and younger brother, where the three also played on the school's rugby team.

Surgical career

Kirby graduated in medical sciences from St John's College, Cambridge, in 1972 and completed his clinical training at the

(later merged with

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

), where he was inspired by lead urologist Richard Turner-Warwick. He gained his MB BChir from Cambridge in 1975, with a distinction in surgery, the decisive turning point that led him towards surgery rather than cardiology. His first house job was at the

Cheltenham General Hospital Cheltenham General Hospital is an NHS district general hospital in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, run by Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It provides general hospital services including Accident and Emergency. History The Cheltenh ...

, where he worked with surgeon Peter Boreham, who encouraged him to pursue the field of urology and particularly prostate disease. Subsequently, he took up posts at Brighton,

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...

, and

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

. His other teachers have included Ken Shuttleworth and Wyndam Lloyd Davies. He passed in the final

Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an intercollegiate basis by the four Royal Colleges of Surgeons (the Royal ...

in 1979. Kirby later described how a number of people in the 1970s had not heard of the prostate gland. During this time, he had attended to a number of people with large prostates that blocked urine flow and a number of people with inflammation of the prostate, which caused pain. When he did see someone with prostate cancer, only two basic surgical options were available on offer: removing the testicles or an operation that removed the middle of the prostate, the latter being performed to improve the flow of urine. In 1985, Kirby spent five weeks at the

Duke University Medical Center Duke University Hospital is a 957-acute care bed academic tertiary care facility located in Durham, North Carolina. Established in 1930, it is the flagship teaching hospital for the Duke University Health System, a network of physicians and hos ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

, USA, on a Royal College of Surgeons travelling scholarship. Earlier, as a research fellow at the Middlesex, he met Clare Fowler and together they published research articles on how nerves work to control the muscles used to control passing urine, work that formed the basis of both Fowler's future contributions to

continence Continence may refer to: *Fecal continence, the ability to control defecation, see Fecal incontinence *Urinary continence, the ability to control urination, see Urinary incontinence, the involuntary excretion of urine *Sexual continence, a synony ...

issues in people with neurological conditions, and Kirby's doctoral thesis. In 1986 they published their findings that disproved the then widely held belief that retention of urine in some women was psychological or hysterical. The condition came to be known as Fowler's syndrome and has been found to be potentially treatable. In the same year he gained his MD from Cambridge, and was elected the Hunterian professorship with a lecture titled "The Investigation and Management of the Neurogenic Bladder". It was published in the ''

Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England ''Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England'' is a medical journal published eight times a year by the College, in January, March, April, May, July, September, October and November. The sister journal of the ''Annals'' is the ''Bulletin of ...

'', where Kirby showed how the use of EMG could distinguish between people with pelvic nerve injury, distal

autonomic neuropathy Autonomic neuropathy (AN or AAN) is a form of polyneuropathy that affects the non-voluntary, non-sensory nervous system (i.e., the autonomic nervous system), affecting mostly the internal organs such as the bladder muscles, the cardiovascular s ...

, progressive autonomic failure– multiple system atrophy, and idiopathic Parkinson's disease, thus influencing the selection of people for surgery via the

urethra The urethra (from Greek οὐρήθρα – ''ourḗthrā'') is a tube that connects the urinary bladder to the urinary meatus for the removal of urine from the body of both females and males. In human females and other primates, the urethra c ...

. In 1986, as the PSA test was coming into use, Kirby was also appointed consultant urologist at

, London, and later took over from John Wickham. Kirby subsequently became one of the first urologists in the UK to perform open radical prostatectomy for localised prostate cancers. After watching American urologist Patrick C. Walsh at the

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

, Baltimore, perform open radical prostatectomies for prostate cancer, while simultaneously preserving pelvic nerves, he became a staunch advocate of the procedure. In 1995, he became a professor of urology and director of Postgraduate Education at St George's Hospital, London. By 2005, using a suprapubic transverse incision, Kirby was performing around 130 of these operations a year. Most of these procedures were performed with colleague and anaesthetist Peter Amoroso.

The Prostate Centre

In 2005, Kirby established The Prostate Centre in

, London. He had previously been watching the development of robotic prostatectomies, and in 2005, for the purpose of performing laparoscopic prostatectomies, a da Vinci surgical robot was acquired. This provided better vision of the pelvic nerves and at the age of 55, he became one of the first surgeons in England to use one. From 2005, the Centre therefore offered minimally invasive laparoscopic prostatectomy with a more holistic approach, advising on a wide range of men's health, including diet and exercise. Over the course of his surgical career, he undertook over 2000 radical prostatectomy operations, of which most of the later ones were robotic. His high-profile patients have included

Corin Redgrave Corin William Redgrave (16 July 19396 April 2010) was an English actor and left-wing socialist activist. Early life Redgrave was born on 16 July 1939 in Marylebone, London, the only son and middle child of actors Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kem ...

, Tony Elliott and

Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...

. File:Cambridge - St John College - New Court.jpg, St John's College, Cambridge File:St Bartholomew's Hospital0258.JPG, St Bartholomew's Hospital File:Professor Roger Kirby.png, Roger Kirby, The Prostate centre

Fundraising and charities

In 1995, Kirby helped found two charities: Prostate Research Campaign and The British Urological Foundation, later renamed The Urology Foundation, which was established with funds from the '' British Journal of Urology International'' and the

British Association of Urological Surgeons The British Association of Urological Surgeons is a professional association in the United Kingdom for urology professionals. Its official journal is the BJU International ''BJU International'' (or ''BJUI'', formerly known as the ''British Jou ...

. His fundraising activities have included climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, trekking in Nepal and cycling across the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

. By 2005, he had completed three

London Marathon The London Marathon is an annual marathon held in London, United Kingdom, and is the 2nd largest annual road race in the UK, after the Great North Run in Newcastle. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically he ...

s. In 2010, he stepped down as chairman of Prostate UK to become trustee of the newly merged charity Prostate Action. The Prostate Cancer Charity founded by

Jonathan Waxman Jonathan Waxman is an American chef who was one of the pioneers of California cuisine and is credited with being the first to bring its style, fusing French cooking techniques with the freshest local ingredients, to New York. Biography Born in 19 ...

subsequently merged with Prostate Action in 2012 to form one organisation under the title of Prostate Cancer UK, of which Kirby became vice-president. He is also affiliated with the

, a charity-registered

private hospital A private hospital is a hospital not owned by the government, including for-profits and non-profits. Funding is by patients themselves ("self-pay"), by insurers, or by foreign embassies. Private hospitals are commonly part, albeit in varying deg ...

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it me ...

, west

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. Some of his fundraising activities have been accomplished with his late colleague, John M. Fitzpatrick and in 2018, he hiked with Sir Marcus Setchell. Kirby's efforts to raise awareness of prostate issues have also involved raising significant funds for prostate charities.

Awards and honours

Royal Society of Medicine 1 Wimpole Street

In 2005, Kirby was jointly awarded the

St Peter's Medal The St Peter's Medal is awarded annually by the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) for contributions to the surgical field of urology. The medal was designed and produced by sculptor William Bloye of the Birmingham School of Art a ...

by the

. In 2010, he was named one of the UK's Top 100 Doctors by ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...

''. Until 2015, he was council member, secretary and trustee of the

. Subsequently, he was elected president of the urology section of the

RSM for 2016/17. In 2016 he received the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...

' Clement Price Thomas Award. In the same year, he stepped down from the board of trustees of the Urology Foundation and was subsequently made its life president, and took up the role of chair of the academic board of the RSM, In 2019, he was elected to become president of the RSM for 2020, succeeding Sir Simon Wessely. His inauguration as president of the RSM took place on 28 July 2020.

Personal life and family

Kirby married Jane, who edited ''

Country Living ''Country Living'' is an American lifestyle and home magazine published by the Hearst Corporation since 1978. The monthly magazine focuses on food, home renovation, home decor, DIY and lifestyle. The magazine hosts four Country Living Fairs a y ...

'' magazine before working as the business manager at her husband's clinic. They have three children including

Joe Kirby Joe Kirby (October 5, 1863 - February 8, 1926) was a self-educated son of Irish immigrants who became an important figure in South Dakota history. He helped shape South Dakota law in its formative years, started one of the preeminent law offices ...

who is a teacher and

Vanessa Kirby Vanessa Nuala Kirby (born 18 April 1988) is an English actress. She has received several accolades, including a BAFTA TV Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. Born in London to urologist Roger Kirb ...

, who is an actress.

Health

Kirby checked his PSA annually, constructing his own personal PSA slope which remained low. However, in 2012, at the age of 61, he noticed a rise and following a 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging, transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy and

bone scan A bone scan or bone scintigraphy is a nuclear medicine imaging technique of the bone. It can help diagnose a number of bone conditions, including cancer of the bone or metastasis, location of bone inflammation and fractures (that may not be vi ...

, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent surgical treatment for the condition he had treated throughout his surgical career. A Gleason 3+4=7 1.3cc adenocarcinoma was completely resected and he made a full recovery. Following treatment, he was one of four surgeons who freely discussed the diagnosis, treatment and its implications, and featured in a "Tale of Four Prostates" with an accompanying video in 2013. He stated that he "hope(d) that the openness about our own diagnoses and management will help to dispel the taboo that still haunts this most common of cancers of men".

Selected publications

Kirby has published more than 350 peer-reviewed scientific publications, authored 68 books and founded two scientific journals: '' Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases'' and '' Trends in Urology and Men's Health''. He has also been an associate editor of the '' British Journal of Urology International''. In ''The Prostate: Small Gland Big Problem'', one section was written by Clive Turner, who had undergone a radical prostatectomy himself and subsequently counselled other men considering the same option. In his textbook ''Men's Health'', dedicated to premature death in men, particularly his father, he, his brother Mike Kirby and colleague Carson Cully III, attempt to address the gender gap in mortality. His book ''Fast facts: Prostate Cancer'' entered its tenth edition in 2020.

Books

''An Atlas of Erectile Dysfunction''

Taylor & Francis Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in England that publishes books and academic journals. Its parts include Taylor & Francis, Routledge, F1000 (publisher), F1000 Research or Dovepress. It is a division of Informa ...

(2003),
Your Guide to Prostate Cancer
Hodder Arnold (2005). . (With Claire Taylor)
''Prostate Cancer: Principles and Practice''
Taylor & Francis (2006), . (With Alan W. Partin, Mark Feneley and J. Kellogg Parsons)
''The Prostate: Small Gland Big Problem''
Health Press Limited, (2006),
''Succeeding as a Hospital Doctor: The Experts Share Their Secrets''
Health Press (2007). . (With Tony Mundy)
''Men's Health''
London: Routledge (2009). (3rd Edition). . Co-edited with Carson C. Cully III, Michael Kirby and Adrian White

Wiley-Blackwell Wiley-Blackwell is an international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons. It was formed by the merger of John Wiley & Sons Global Scientific, Technical, and Medical business with Blackwell Publish ...

(2011). . (With Prokar Dasgupta)
''Fast Facts: Prostate Cancer''
Karger (2020). 10th Ed. . (With Manish I. Patel)

Articles

Studies of the neurogenic bladder
''Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons England'', (A summary of a Hunterian Lecture delivered at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 4 September 1986), Vol. 70, No. 5. (1988), pp. 285–288
"Urethro-vesical dysfunction in progressive autonomic failure with multiple system atrophy"
co-authored with Clare Fowler, John Gosling and Roger Bannister, ''

Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry The ''Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry'' is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal published by the BMJ Group. It covers research and reviews in the fields of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry. Its Editor-in-Chief is Mat ...

'', Vol. 49, (1986), pp. 554–562
"The trouble with men"
''British Journal of Urology International'', 23 February 2012 . (With Michael Kirby, Culley Carson and John M. Fitzpatrick)
"Richard Turner-Warwick"
''British Journal of Urology International'' (2014). (With Christopher Chapple)
"A tale of four prostates"
''Trends in Urology and Men's Health'', March/April 2013 (With Damian Hanbury, John Anderson and Sean G. Vesey)

News

"Portrait of a Prostate UK supporter"
16 March 2009
"UK Prostate Charities Merge"
''British Journal of Urology International'', First published: 29 August 2012. (With Owen Sharp, Paul Forster, and Jonathan Waxman)
"Are you ready to go to prison on a manslaughter charge?"
''British Journal of Urology International'' (2014)
Five ways to stop men dying from prostate cancer
''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

'', 2 February 2018
Surge in prostate cancer referrals following Stephen Fry's diagnosis
''Trends in Urology and Men's Health'', 13 September 2018

References

External links

Professor Roger Kirby talking about a prostate healthy dietThe Urology Foundation (TUF)fundraising cycle journey
A team of fundraising enthusiasts (including Roger Kirby, Editor of Trends in Urology & Men's Health) cycled from Agra to Jaipur in Rajasthan, India to raise funds for The Urology Foundation (TUF)
1: Episode 1: Prostate Cancer - What is it, what are the symptoms, how is it diagnosed and how is it treated?
Susan Burnett interviews leading prostate cancer expert Professor Roger Kirby
From doctor to patient: Three urologists face prostate cancer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirby, Roger 1950 births British surgeons British medical writers Living people Medical journal editors British urologists Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons Alumni of the University of Cambridge Alumni of the University of London Academics of the University of London Recipients of the St Peter's Medal