My dad has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and we are trying to determine which is a better method for prostate removal. Some have said robotic is better while others have said that you are not gauranteed that you will get an expereinced surgeon since robotic tends to be simpler for the surgeon and a lower skilled one can operate
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1 :
Sorry to hear about your Dad's diagnosis. I am sure your family is going through a difficult time right now. There is so much information about treatments for prostate cancer that the options can be overwhelming. The first thing I would recommend for your Dad is that he get a second opinion. Open Radical Prostatectomy and Robotic Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy are basically the same procedure. Radical Prostatectomy is the surgical procedure whereby the entire prostate is removed, as well as the seminal vesicles, the section of the urethra that passes through the prostate, the ends of the vas deferens, and a portion of the bladder neck. After the prostate and surrounding structures are removed, the bladder is then reattached to the remainin urethra. A catheter is placed through the penis into the bladder before the stitches that attach the bladder to the urethra are tied down. The catheter allows urine to drain while the bladder and the urethra heal together. Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is a newer procedure where there are several small abdominal incisions as opposed to the longer midline incision. The discomfort is less and the recovery is quicker with this approach. Also there is less bleeding so no need for blood transfusions, less scarring, less chance of infection with the laparoscopic approach. Recovery is quicker because there is less trauma to the body. The Robotic surgery has the best outcome with a highly skilled surgeon performing the procedure. Because it is so complex there is a high learning curve to be proficient at it. The best results are associated with surgeons who have done many robotic surgeries. If your Dad chooses this approach find a surgeon who has done hundreds of these surgeries and not just a few. Here is a website that may be of more help: http://www.yananow.net/ "You Are Not Alone" is a cancer survivors website with many treatment options and stories from cancer survivors about their experiences with the various treatments available. I hope this helps!
2 :
I was diagnosed a little over a month ago with prostate cancer. Everything I've read and everyone I've talked with has said that the method of surgery is not nearly as important as the skill of the surgeon performing it. Robotic hasn't been around nearly as long as open, so there are fewer people who have the experience. The surgeon I chose uses both the robot and laparoscopic and does about 100 prostatectomies a year. This is the minimum that Dr. Walsh (see below) recommends. So don't let the marketing hype get to you. Talk to lots of people, take your time (assuming your Dad was diagnosed in early stage) and find somebody who knows what they're doing and has done it a lot. BTW, a great question to ask a surgeon when you're talking with them about what their experience is, "What are you doing differently now than you did six months to a year ago?" The pompous will be offended. The competent will be delighted.
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