Giorgio Guazzoni

Giorgio Ferruccio Guazzoni is an Italian urologist and Ordinary Professor of Urology at Humanitas University, Milan. He serves as head of the Urological Unit at Humanitas Research Hospital in Rozzano, Milan, and is a Senior Consultant in Urology and Andrology. Guazzoni is recognized internationally as a leader in minimally invasive urological surgery, particularly in the fields of robotic and laparoscopic approaches to prostate, renal, and ureteral conditions.[1]

He is a board member of European Urology, the official journal of the European Association of Urology. His team at Humanitas is one of the internationally recognized leaders in robotic surgery for urological cancers, and has performed over 2,300 surgeries annually while seeing nearly 12,000 patients each year.[2]

Background

Guazzoni obtained his medical degree from the University of Milan (Università degli Studi di Milano) in 1990, specializing in Urology.[3] He began his clinical career at the Department of Urology of San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, which was at the time one of Italy's most prominent urology programs under Professor Patrizio Rigatti. During the 1990s, Guazzoni developed a specialization in minimally invasive surgical techniques at a time when laparoscopy was just beginning to transform the practice of urology in Europe.

Career

Guazzoni spent many years at San Raffaele Hospital and the affiliated San Raffaele Turro Hospital in Milan, serving as a senior medical director (Dirigente Medico di II livello) of the Urology Unit. He also held the position of Ordinary Professor at the Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, one of Italy's leading medical universities, where he taught in the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery (Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia), in the academic discipline of Urology (Settore Scientifico Disciplinare MED/24).[3]

He subsequently joined Humanitas Research Hospital in Rozzano, near Milan, where he has served as head of the urological unit. At Humanitas University, he holds the rank of ordinary professor (Professore Ordinario) of urology. Under his leadership, the Humanitas Urology Department grew into one of the most active and internationally recognized urological units in Italy, with a particular focus on urological oncology and minimally invasive surgery.[1]

Scholarly work

Guazzoni's research and clinical work have focused on advancing minimally invasive techniques in urology, particularly in the management of urological cancers affecting the prostate, kidney, and bladder. He has authored or co-authored more than 551 peer-reviewed publications, which have accumulated over 25,000 citations in scientific literature, placing him among the top urologists in the world by research impact.[4]

Pioneer laparoscopic adrenalectomy

In 1992, Guazzoni and his team performed the first laparoscopic adrenalectomy in Italy, one of the earliest such procedures in Europe. This technique — surgical removal of the adrenal gland through a minimally invasive approach — was still in its infancy at the time. Rather than representing a one-off achievement, this early experience marked the beginning of a sustained commitment to laparoscopic surgery that defined his career. A decade later, in a review article reflecting on ten years of the procedure, his team noted that laparoscopic adrenalectomy had become the standard of care for most adrenal diseases requiring surgery.[5]

Robotic surgery and Single-Site Pyeloplasty

From 2006 onward, robotic surgery became a central activity of Guazzoni's unit at Humanitas. His team was an early adopter of the da Vinci robotic platform for urological procedures, and over the following years developed particular expertise in robotic approaches to prostate cancer, renal tumors, and ureteral conditions.

In 2011, Guazzoni's team performed the first Single-Site Robotic Pyeloplasty in the world, a technically demanding procedure in which the entire surgery is conducted through a single umbilical incision using a specialized robotic platform. The procedure, which treats obstruction at the junction between the kidney and ureter (ureteropelvic junction obstruction), was subsequently published in European Urology, bringing the team international recognition as a pioneer in this minimally invasive technique.[6]

Every year, Guazzoni participates in live surgical demonstrations at the annual congress of the European Association of Urology (EAU), and collaborates with the European Robotic Urology Section (ERUS), the EAU's dedicated robotic surgery subsection.[1]

Cryoablation and focal therapy

Since 2000, Guazzoni's team has routinely performed cryoablation for renal tumors, accumulating one of the largest published series in the world in this technique. Cryoablation involves the destruction of tumor tissue using extreme cold, and is used as an alternative to surgery in selected patients with renal cancer. The team has also developed significant experience in focal therapy for prostate cancer, an approach designed to treat only the affected area of the prostate rather than removing the entire organ, thereby reducing side effects.[1]

Prostate cancer markers

Guazzoni has been actively involved in research on new biomarkers for the diagnosis and characterization of prostate cancer, in particular the marker known as −2proPSA, a precursor form of prostate-specific antigen. His group has collaborated with multiple international centers on studies validating and extending the clinical utility of this marker, contributing several publications to the literature over the past decade.[1]

Professional memberships

Guazzoni is a member of the following professional organizations:

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Prof. Giorgio Ferruccio Guazzoni". Humanitas Research Hospital. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  2. ^ "Urology". Humanitas Research Hospital. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  3. ^ a b "Dottor Giorgio Ferruccio Guazzoni". Humanitas (Italian). Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  4. ^ "Giorgio Guazzoni's research works". ResearchGate. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  5. ^ Guazzoni, G. (2003). "Laparoscopic treatment of adrenal diseases: 10 years on". BJU International. 93: 1–15. doi:10.1046/j.1464-410X.2003.04066.x. PMID 14690487.
  6. ^ Cestari, Andrea; Buffi, Nicolò Maria; Lista, Giuliana; Lughezzani, Giovanni; Larcher, Alessandro; Lazzeri, Massimo; Sangalli, Mattia; Rigatti, Patrizio; Guazzoni, Giorgio (2012). "Feasibility and preliminary clinical outcomes of robotic laparoendoscopic single-site (R-LESS) pyeloplasty using a new single-port platform". European Urology. 62 (1): 175–179. doi:10.1016/j.eururo.2012.02.056. PMID 22469392.
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