A 24-hour robotic-assisted surgery event is underway, giving people a chance to watch live as surgeons across four continents operate on patients.

Audience members are able to hear the surgeons describing the procedure via webcam as well as pose questions to the medical experts using the twitter hashtag #WRSE24.

Australia's Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne is one of 10 institutions taking part in the event, which began at Karolinska Hospital in Sweden on Monday (AEDT).

Associate Professor Declan Murphy will perform a robot-assisted radical prostatectomy as part of the event.

He told 774 ABC Melbourne anyone could watch the broadcast, not just surgeons or trainees.

"There are 10 very large cancer centres around the world which over a 24-hour period are each contributing some live surgery to a webcast," Associate Professor Murphy said.

"Robotic surgery is really just a complex form of keyhole surgery, which has been around for many years now.

"Here at Peter Mac there are about 10 or 12 surgeons who do some form of robotic surgery, but the commonest indications of this type of surgery is prostate cancer, and that's what most of our expertise is based around.

"Today is about watching these surgeons from all over the world demonstrate these advanced techniques."

Man's 'inner bits' to be broadcast live

Robotic-assisted surgery is performed through tiny incisions as a surgeon sits at a console in the operating theatre, viewing live 3D images of the patient's organs.

Using hand and foot controls, the surgeon uses a telescope and other technology inside the body to manipulate the camera system and miniature operating instruments.

Associate Professor Murphy said live events were common at conferences, but this event was special because it was widely available to the public.

He also said there were strict guidelines about who could take part.

"It's all about the patient. When we set up these educational events we have to make sure we're doing what's best for the patient an this patient is fully briefed," he said.

Associate Professor Murphy said the man taking part in the Melbourne leg of the event was "quite fascinated his inner bits will be broadcast live".

"You won't see any of sensitive outer bits of course, but he's quite pleased to have his prostatectomy to be broadcast all over the world, and I think his family members are even going to be watching."