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Login to My HealthRobotic Surgery
It is estimated that there are more than two million American men currently living with prostate cancer. The most common non-skin cancer in the United States, prostate cancer affects one in every six men. In fact, one new case of prostate cancer occurs every three minutes and a man dies from prostate cancer every 19 minutes.
With any cancer treatment, the first priority is survival. Several large studies suggest there is a greater chance of long-term survival for patients undergoing surgery over other potential treatments. When surgery is required to treat prostate cancer, surgeons perform a radical prostatectomy in which the prostate gland and some surrounding tissues is removed. This operation may be done through open surgery or laparoscopically using robotics.
In prostate cancer surgery the delicate nerves that are attached to blood vessels must be separated from the prostate before its removal. The robotic surgery team at USC remains at the forefront of robotic radical prostatectomy by using an athermal technique of nerve sparing which creates positive outcomes for patients. Our surgeons pioneered the use of intraoperative real-time trans-rectal ultrasound guidance to enhance the precision of nerve-sparing, and oncologic efficacy.
In terms of cancer control, in several large published studies, robotic prostatectomy has shown better rates of positive surgical margins than large studies of other forms of surgery.
Urinary continence and sexual function after treatment are also of concern for prostate cancer patients. Studies show patients who undergo a robotic prostatectomy may experience a faster return of urinary continence following surgery and lower rates of urinary pain than radiation (brachytherapy) patients. Several studies also show patients who are potent prior to surgery recover their sexual function (defined as an erection for intercourse) within a year following robotic surgery.
