Prostate Cancer Treatment Side Effects Worse With Prostatectomy

  Men with localized prostate cancer (PCa) who undergo prostatectomy report worse urinary incontinence through 5 years compared with other management options, according to new study findings published in JAMA. Patients with unfavorable-risk disease also report worse sexual function at 5 years after surgery compared with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Karen E. Hoffman, MD, MHSc,...Read More

Men Pick Robotic Surgery For Prostate Cancer Despite Risks

  Pretty much every medical organization has told men to back off on screening for prostate cancer, because it can lead to unneeded treatment, including surgery that can leave a man incontinent and impotent. But it's hard to resist a robot. Men who have been diagnosed with low-grade prostate cancer increasingly choose expensive newer treatments including robotic surgery and a...Read More

Is Robotic Surgery Right for You?

  In 2010, Paul Elliott, then 55, a high school teacher at a public school in Gonzales, California, checked into a hospital to have his prostate removed. When he awoke, he had no feeling in his shoulders and arms. During the eight-hour operation, his body had been suspended in a steep head-down position to accommodate the positioning of the robot used to...Read More

Robotic prostate surgery comes with trade-off

  A new study suggests less-invasive keyhole surgery for prostate cancer may mean a higher risk for lasting incontinence and impotence when compared with traditional surgery. The results add to confusion around prostate cancer treatments, which sometimes lead to urinary and sexual problems. It's not clear that either kind of surgery is superior to radiation alone or watchful waiting, which...Read More