Robotic Surgery for Prostate Cancer
In a robotic prostatectomy a surgeon uses tools attached to robotic arms to take out all or part of the prostate gland. Most often, prostatectomy is done to treat cancer that hasn’t spread beyond the prostate gland. Guided by the surgeon, the robot uses precise movements.
This prostate surgery is different from a traditional open prostatectomy that requires a large cut to access the prostate. Instead, a robotic prostatectomy involves several smaller cuts in the lower belly. There are various approaches. Your surgeon will help you decide the approach that is best for you:
- Robot-assisted radical laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP): The surgeon takes out the entire prostate gland and some surrounding tissues. Sometimes, nearby lymph nodes are taken out too.
- Nerve-sparing prostatectomy. The surgeon takes out the prostate while trying not to injure the nerves that play a role in erections. This may not be possible if the cancer is very close to the nerves or invading the nerves.
Following robotic prostate surgery, a temporary catheter will be needed for a week or two.
Benefits of robotic prostate surgery
Compared to traditional open surgery, a robotic procedure provides:
- Less risk of urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction
- Less pain
- Less bleeding
- Shorter recovery time
This approach results in complete removal of cancer for nearly 95 percent of all patients whose cancer is confined to the prostate.
