Prostate Surgery Information

The prostate gland, situated deep in the pelvis below the bladder, is a walnut-sized, fluid-producing organ in the male reproductive system that is prone to becoming cancerous. Many prostate cancer patients chose surgery to remove the gland as a treatment option. According to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center statistics, surgery has a 60 percent successful cure rate.

• Surgery is a common treatment option for prostate cancer.

The Facts

• Prostate cancer surgery, known as a radical prostatectomy, involves the complete removal of the prostate gland, as well as the seminal vesicles (semen-producing glands), the section of the urethra that passes through the prostate, the ends of the vas deferens (ducts that carry sperm from the testicles to the prostate) and a section of the bladder neck.

Techniques

• No matter what technique is used, prostate surgery requires deep invasion of the abdomen. The retropubic approach involves a large abdominal incision for easy access to the pelvic lymph nodes. A perineal prostatectomy does not involve an abdominal incision, but removes the prostate through a perineal incision. Laparoscopic prostatectomy uses tiny incisions and the da Vinci Surgical System is a robotic-assisted prostatectomy.

Patient Candidates

• The best candidates for radical prostatectomies are otherwise healthy patients with localized cancers, who have at least seven to 10 years left of average life expectancy.

Side Effects

• Bleeding, infection, impotence, infertility, and urinary incontinence are side effects associated with prostate surgery.

Warning

• The perineal approach--removing the prostate through an opening between the scrotum and the anus--has a higher risk of fecal incontinence. According to Peter T. Scardino, chairman of the Department of Urology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the mortality rate associated with radical prostatectomy is less than 0.1 percent.