Surgery is an effective way to manage and cure prostate cancer. At the Abramson Cancer Center, our world-renowned surgeons specialize in surgical techniques that help people have an easier surgical experience. Their skill also helps lower risks associated with prostate cancer surgery, including urinary incontinence (inability to control urination) and erectile dysfunction.
Prostate Surgery: Why Choose the Abramson Cancer Center?
Surgery can be hard on the body. That's why we offer minimally invasive procedures that improve your recovery and results. We have one of the most experienced robotic-assisted surgery teams in the world. They expertly use our fleet of surgical robots to provide patients with less pain, blood loss, and scarring and more precise cancer removal.
Our program also features:
- Experienced prostate cancer surgeons: Some of our surgeons do more than twice the average number of cancer surgeries. The more experienced your surgeon is, the better your chances for fewer complications and a great result.
- Advanced technology: You have access to clinical trials that are improving the effectiveness of prostate cancer surgery. Intraoperative molecular imaging, or TumorGlow®, is one of these advanced technologies. With TumorGlow, your surgeon injects you with a dye that lights up the cancer cells. The dye makes it easier to more precisely remove the cancer and spare healthy tissue. TumorGlow also reveals tumors that didn't show up on imaging. Learn more about TumorGlow technology.
- Robotic prostate surgery expertise: Skill and experience in robotic procedures are critical for good outcomes. With the right surgeon, patients experience shorter hospital stays and quicker recoveries. We have surgeons who spend all their time doing robotic-assisted prostatectomies. Their efforts have led to us being one of the highest-volume robotic prostatectomy centers in the U.S. The special abilities of the robotic tools, along with our surgeons' experience and understanding of the body and prostate cancer, deliver great results to our patients.
- Focus on your quality of life: Our surgeons' skill helps reduce your risks for complications like urination and erection issues. If complications do happen, we have doctors who specialize in management of these issues to improve your quality of life.
Radical Prostatectomy
A radical prostatectomy is complete removal of the prostate gland, surrounding tissue and seminal vesicles (reproductive glands that produce the fluid in semen). While erection problems are a possible side effect of this procedure, our surgeons are highly skilled in nerve-sparing techniques. This approach avoids injuring the nerves that control erection.
Surgeons can perform prostatectomy via traditional surgery or robotic prostate surgery.
Traditional Prostatectomy
Traditional prostatectomy involves removing the prostate and surrounding tissues through an incision in the body. Your surgeon may also remove nearby lymph nodes at the same time.
There are two ways to perform this surgery:
- Retropubic approach: Doctors access your prostate through one long incision in the lower abdomen. They can also remove nearby lymph nodes (pelvic lymph node dissection) to see if the cancer has spread.
- Perineal approach: Doctors access your prostate through an incision in the perineum, the area between the scrotum (the sack of skin that holds the testicles) and anus. Doctors may take this less common approach if you don't need your lymph nodes checked or you can't undergo retropubic surgery. You may experience erection issues after this surgery. But you may also experience less pain and a shorter recovery.
Robotic Prostate Surgery
One of the most innovative treatments for prostate cancer is robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy. Robotic-assisted prostatectomy involves removing the prostate gland with the help of computer technology. At the Abramson Cancer Center, we perform most prostate cancer surgeries using the da Vinci surgical system, the only FDA-approved surgical robot.
Robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy removes the prostate using long, narrow instruments attached to a robot. To perform the procedure:
- Your surgeon makes six small incisions in your abdomen and inserts the instruments.
- Your surgeon controls the robot at a computer console.
- The instruments can maneuver in places the surgeon's hands can't.
Benefits of Robotic Prostate Surgery
Robotic prostate surgery offers similar and sometimes better outcomes than traditional prostate cancer surgery:
- The border of healthy tissue (margins) left around the prostate can be just as or more precise than open surgery. The cure rate with robotic surgery is equal to that of traditional surgery.
- Better precision also means we can spare more nerves, which maximizes the chances of preserving sexual and urinary function.
- Most males who have robotic-assisted prostatectomies return to work in two to three weeks. They can often resume activities such as golf and weightlifting in about three weeks.
Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP)
Transurethral resection of the prostate cannot cure cancer. Instead, doctors use it to relieve prostate cancer symptoms like difficulty urinating.
During TURP, your surgeon:
- Inserts a flexible tube called a resectoscope into the hole in the tip of the penis.
- Passes the resectoscope through the urethra (tube-like organ that drains urine from the bladder) into the inner part of the prostate.
- Passes electricity or a laser through the resectoscope to heat or vaporize the part of the prostate that's blocking urine flow.
Cryosurgery for Prostate Cancer
We offer cryosurgery to treat prostate cancer. It uses extreme cold to destroy tumors and cancer cells.
Cryosurgery is a minimally invasive procedure. There is no blood loss, and it causes less damage than other treatments. It may be an option to treat prostate cancer that hasn’t responded to radiation.
Make an Appointment
Please call 800-789-7366 or request a callback.