Comparative effectiveness of prostate cancer surgical treatments
March 14th, 2010 Posted in prostatectomyA recent study at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, compared laparoscopic prostatectomy with or without robotic assistance vs open radical prostatectomy in terms of postoperative outcomes and subsequent cancer directed therapy.
Researchers investigated men 66 years old or older with localized prostate cancer who underwent radical prostatectomy from 2003 to 2005. Outcome measures were general medical/surgical complications and mortality within 90 days after surgery, genitourinary/bowel complications within 365 days, radiation therapy and/or androgen deprivation therapy within 365 days and length of hospital stay.
The study has found laparoscopic prostatectomy and open radical prostatectomy have similar rates of postoperative morbidity and additional treatment. However, men considering prostate cancer surgery should be well informed regarding the expected benefits and risks of each technique to help them reach an option and set realistic expectations.