Frank C Lai, MD

I told the admin when I made an appt I had blue shield covered California and when I took a day off from work and showed up on time to my appt they tell me they don’t accept my insurance policy what a waste of time and gas

I was referred to Dr. Lai at El Camino Urology by my Urologist Dr. King. My GP had noticed an increase in my PSA score from 4.2 in April to 5.3 in September. along with a lump on the left side of my prostate. I immediately scheduled an appointment with Dr. King for a biopsy. Two weeks later I had a report showing ³⁄₁₀ samples positive for cancer. The Gleason score was 3 – 4, 2Tb.
My urologist recommended we interview with a surgeon and radiologist. Dr. Lai the surgeon, was able to see me the next Tuesday and took the time to answer all the questions my wife and I had prepared over the weekend. I had spent hours on the internet researching both surgical and radiation based procedures. Both of us came away with a great deal of confidence in Dr. Lai.
After the consult with the radiologist, we decided on surgery with Dr. Lai and the Da Vinci robot at El Camino Hospital. Dr. Lai was able to schedule the pre-​op appointment the following week. Dr. Lai is very busy, but he is also very flexible. He understood my concern with the rapid increase in PSA and our personal need to act quickly. Dr. Lai took the time to discuss all the pros and cons of surgery. He believed that he could perform «nerve sparing» He was also willing to provide a DVD of the procedure.
Dr. Lai requires 6 weeks for the swelling to recede before surgery, so we scheduled surgery on November 3^rd, just 6 week after biopsy. Surgery took 3.5 hours. He removed the prostate and lymph nodes. The lab report showed no lymph involvement, the Gleason score had increased to 4 – 3, 2Tc in less than 3 months.
Dr.Lai gave us the DVD of the surgery at the post-​op appointment. We were mesmerized watching the surgery. The skill Dr. Lai has manipulating the robotic arms is amazing. I recommend him without reservation.
I make this recommendation based on working in health care for over 30 years and observing many surgeons.

I was referred to El Camino Urology by my GP after my PSA score and digital/​physical exam indicated prostate cancer. My prostate biopsy revealed positive cancer for ⁹⁄₁₄ tissue samples. Diagnosis: advanced and aggressive prostate cancer. My wife and I decided on the Da Vinci Radical Prostatectomy performed by Dr. Lai with adjuvant radiation treatment if necessary post-​op to kill any microscopic cancer cells left in the pelvic region (and it’s always necessary).
During the pre-​op appointment with Dr. Lai, he discussed ‘nerve sparing’ of the cavernous nerve sheaths if possible; nerve sparing is intended to spare nerves that enable a natural erection. On a subsequent appointment, Dr. Lai said he was going ‘to take’ both nerves during surgery but didn’t articulate why that would be necessary.
The surgery itself at El Camino Hospital went perfectly! Dr. Lai and the hospital staff treated me with excellent care. I was up and walking around the hospital floor about 6 hours after surgery and discharged home the next day. The worst part of the process is dealing with the catheter/​bag for one week while the bladder/​urethra heals after surgery.
My pre-​op PSA was 9.1 and my post-​op PSA was less than .02 or basically non-​detectable cancer. My second post-​op PSA 3 months later and post radiation treatment was less than .01 or non-​detectable cancer. So I am fortunate so far that the cancer seems to have been eradicated.
While I am glad to be alive and healthy, I will likely have to get a penile implant due to the surgical removal of both cavernous nerves. Nerve-​sparing radical prostatectomy is defined as: During the surgical removal of the prostate gland, an attempt is made to spare the two cavernous nerve sheaths (lying slightly underneath and to the sides of the gland) that produce erections. Completing the nerve-​sparing surgery successfully and deciding who should have it are much more difficult than defining it.
The following methods of getting an erection do not work for me: Cialis pills and vacuum erection device. Even injection therapy of tri-​mix into the penis isn’t fully effective every time. It is also painful.
I would recommend Dr. Lai and El Camino Urology to anyone. However, the firm is so busy that Dr./patient communication could be improved.
Guys: when you turn 45 do yourself a favor. Go to the doctor every year and make sure they do a PSA test as part of your blood work. I didn’t go to the doctor for 7 – 8 years prior to my 2012 physical exam. Had they caught my prostate cancer sooner, I may have not had to have the prostate removed and would still be able to get an erection.

Dr. Frank C. Lai is an overworked barbarian. Despite his usually pleasant demeanor, the nature of his work [prostate surgery for malignant and benign prostatic overgrowth] makes the very nature of the surgeries he performs gruesome and fraught with potential complications.
This physician urges men to try any alternative to trans-​urethral resection of the prostate before subjecting himself to this gruesome operation. Nowadays you will be sent home the same day or the day after, to cope with the many serious complications that may arise post-​operatively.
If there seems to be no alternative to TURP, ask your urologist to invent one!
There MUST be a better way to treat an enlarged prostate!