Prostatectomy: Questions and Answers

Question: Who does prostate cancer affect?

Answer: The American Cancer Society estimates there are 180,000 - 200,000 newly diagnosed cases of prostate cancer annually. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the United States with approximately 40,000 men dying of it each year.

Question: What is the prostate?

Answer: The prostate is a walnut-sized gland found below the bladder. It surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis. The prostate is one of the male sex glands that produces the seminal fluid. The sexual nerve bundles are located on either side of the prostate.

Question: What is prostate cancer?

Answer: Prostate cancer is a malignant tumor that consists of cells from the prostate gland. As the cancer advances, however, it can spread beyond the prostate into the surrounding tissues. Moreover, the cancer also can metastasize throughout the other areas of the body, such as the bones, lungs and liver.

Question: What is the current method of prostate removal?

Answer: Prostate removal surgery is known as prostatectomy. Currently, most prostatectomy procedures are performed through large, open surgical incisions, which often result in lengthy and uncomfortable patient recovery. There is a significant risk of impotence and incontinence with prostatectomies.

Question: Why use robotic surgery?

Answer: Robotic procedures use miniature instruments that are inserted into the patient through small, pencil-sized incisions. Robotic surgery offers many potential advantages such as:

• Decreased blood loss and decreased probability of blood transfusions
• Potential for improved preservation of continence and sexual potency through a more precise dissection
• Earlier return to normal physical activity
• Smaller incisions which decrease post-operative pain and improved cosmetics

Question: Why does the da Vinci Surgical System® work well for prostatectectomy surgery?

Answer: The patented InSite® Vision Robotic System gives the surgeon a 3-D, 10-times magnified view of the operating field, which provides an excellent view of delicate tissues and organs.

The da Vinci® Surgical System is ‘intuitive.’ When the surgeon moves the controls to the right, the robot’s instruments move to the right, giving the surgeon natural hand-eye coordination.

Also, the da Vinci® Surgical System has ‘wristed’ instruments that mimic and augment the movements of the surgeon’s hands and wrists, giving him or her excellent flexibility and control when operating on delicate tissue.

Question: What are the benefits for patients undergoing surgery with the da Vinci?

Answer: Benefits for patients include reduced scarring, potentially shorter hospital stay, and quicker return to normal daily activities. The opportunity to remove the prostate cancer is as effective as the traditional open surgery approach.

For more information, please contact:

UI Health Access (for patients)

UI Consult (for physicians)