If prostate cancer is not suspected to have spread outside the prostate gland, surgery is a popular treatment option.
A radical prostatectomy is the most common type of prostate cancer surgery. The robotic prostate cancer surgeon removes the entire prostate gland as well as some surrounding tissue, including the seminal vesicles, during this procedure.
Open or laparoscopic Radical prostatectomy
The prostate and adjacent tissues are removed through a single lengthy skin incision (cut) in the more traditional approach to prostatectomy, known as an open prostatectomy. This type of surgery is not performed as frequently as it formerly was.
The Cirujano robótico de cáncer de próstata en Colombia performs a laparoscopic prostatectomy by making multiple small incisions and removing the prostate with special long surgical equipment. The surgeon can either hold the tools in his or her hands or utilise a control panel to precisely manoeuvre robotic arms holding the tools.
In recent years, this method of prostatectomy has become more popular. Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy, when performed by qualified surgeons, can produce results that are comparable to open radical prostatectomy.
Open prostatectomy
Radical retropubic prostatectomy
The surgeon makes an incision (cut) in your lower abdomen, from the belly button to the pubic bone, for an open procedure, as seen in the image below. During the procedure, you will be put under general anaesthesia (asleep) or given spinal or epidural anaesthesia (numbing the lower part of the body) along with sedation.
If the surgeon believes there is a reasonable probability that cancer has progressed to surrounding lymph nodes (based on your PSA level, prostate biopsy results, and other considerations), some of these lymph nodes may be removed at this time (known as a pelvic lymph node dissection). The lymph nodes are transported to a lab to be examined for cancer cells.
laparoscopic Prostatectomy
If you’re considering laparoscopic surgery as a therapeutic option, it’s critical to know what is known and what is unknown about this procedure. Your surgeon’s expertise and experience are likely to be the most essential ones. If you decide that laparoscopic surgery is the best option for you, look for a surgeon with plenty of experience.
Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy
The surgeon removes the prostate using special long instruments inserted through numerous small incisions in the abdominal wall during a laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP). On the end of one of the instruments is a small video camera that allows the surgeon to look inside the body.
Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy has some advantages to open radical prostatectomy, including reduced blood loss and pain, shorter hospital stays (typically less than a day), quicker recovery times, and the catheter remaining in the bladder for a shorter period.
The rates of serious adverse effects after LRP, such as erection issues and urinary incontinence, appear to be similar to those seen with open prostatectomies. This method may cause a minor delay in bladder control recovery.
Even though additional long-term studies are needed to examine the side effects and likelihood of recurrence of open prostatectomy versus LRP, the effectiveness of either treatment appears to be primarily dependent on the surgeon’s experience and skill.
Prostate surgery has risks
Any type of radical prostatectomy carries the same dangers as any major surgery. The following are some of the issues that may arise during or immediately after the operation:
- Anaesthesia reactions
- Surgery-related bleeding
- Blood clots in the legs or lungs are very common.
- Organ damage in the vicinity
- Infections in the surgical area.
Rarely, a section of the intestine may be damaged during surgery, which can lead to infections in the abdomen and necessitate additional surgery to correct. Intestinal injuries are more likely in laparoscopic and robotic procedures than in open surgery.
If lymph nodes are removed, a lymphocele (an accumulation of lymph fluid) may form and need to be drained.
