The gold standard
treatment option for men under 70 with
early-stage, organ-confined cancer is
surgical removal of the prostate using
nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy.
Prostatectomy is also the most widely
used treatment for prostate cancer today
in the US.1
The primary goal of prostatectomy is
removal of the cancer. A secondary goal
is to preserve urinary function and --
when applicable -- erectile function.
Preservation of the nerves necessary for
erections can be an extremely important
goal for patients. These nerves run
alongside the prostate and are often
damaged when removing the prostate. A
nerve-sparing prostatectomy attempts to
preserve these nerves so that the
patient may be able to return to his
prior erectile function.
Types of Prostatectomy
Approaches to this procedure include
traditional open surgery, conventional
laparoscopic surgery or da Vinci
® Prostatectomy, which is a
robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery.
With a traditional open procedure,
your surgeon uses an 8-10 inch incision
to access the prostate. This approach
often results in substantial blood loss,
a lengthy, uncomfortable recovery and a
risk of impotence and incontinence.
Conventional laparoscopy uses a
specialized surgical camera and rigid
instruments to access and remove the
prostate using a series of small
incisions. This approach provides your
surgeon with better visualization than
an open approach. In addition, it
provides patients the benefits of a
minimally invasive procedure.
Despite these advantages,
conventional laparoscopy relies on rigid
instruments and standard 2D video,
technical limitations that can be
challenging for the surgeon. Because of
these drawbacks, conventional
laparoscopy doesn’t lend itself well to
complex procedures like prostatectomy.
Therefore, very few urologists use this
approach for prostatectomy. Moreover,
neither laparoscopy nor open surgery can
provide adequate visualization for a
very precise, nerve-sparing
prostatectomy.
Learn More
Read about the potentially most
effective, least invasive approach to
prostatectomy –
da Vinci® Prostatectomy.
The National Prostate Cancer
Coalition:
www.fightprostatecancer.org home
> treatment & research >
treatment options > surgery
While clinical studies support
the effectiveness of the da
Vinci® System when
used in minimally invasive surgery,
individual results may vary. Surgery
with the da Vinci Surgical
System may not be appropriate for
every individual. Always ask your
doctor about all treatment options,
as well as their risks and benefits.
For additional information on
minimally invasive surgery with the
da Vinci® Surgical System
visit
www.davincisurgery.com
