There are different methods in the treatment of prostate cancer. Radical prostatectomy surgery is the most effective of these treatment methods.
The prostate is a gland located in the male genital tract, surrounding the outlet of the bladder and playing a role in the fluidity of the semen. It consists of secreting cells and their supporting surrounding tissue. Prostate cancer occurs with the abnormal development of these secreting cells.
Causes and Risk Factors of Prostate Cancer
It is calculated that prostate cancer is found at a microscopic level in 50% of men over the age of 70 and in almost all of those over the age of 90. A healthy man's lifetime risk of developing prostate cancer is approximately 17%. In other words, approximately one out of every 6 men is diagnosed with prostate cancer. With the discovery of the PSA test and its clinical use in the 1980s, mortality rates due to the disease decreased. Although precise data are not available for our country, prostate cancer is detected in 250 thousand men annually in the USA and 95% of these people are over 45 years old.
Robotic Radical Prostatectomy
There are different methods in the treatment of prostate cancer. Radical prostatectomy surgery is the most effective of these treatment methods. Patients with well-differentiated tumors who have undergone radical prostatectomy have a 10-year disease-specific survival rate of over 90%. Therefore, radical prostatectomy operation is the most preferred among all treatment methods. Traditional open radical prostatectomy operations are performed with a large surgical incision. This causes the patient to recover late after the operation, to be hospitalized longer, to be exposed to a greater risk of wound infection and to have a large scar. Robotic prostatectomy, which has become widespread in recent years, can be operated with very small incisions and thus, a less traumatic minimally invasive treatment alternative is offered to patients.
Advantages of Robotic Radical Prostatectomy
1. Less blood loss.
In robotic radical prostatectomy operations, the abdomen is inflated with gas. Due to this gas pressure, bleeding is considerably reduced. At the end of the operation, the gas is discharged from the abdomen. In addition, with the help of 3D high-resolution cameras that can enlarge the operation area, bleeding can be seen more clearly and can be stopped early. Generally, patients are not given blood transfusions.
2. Less hospital stay.
In robotic surgery, patients can be discharged from the hospital earlier than in open surgeries, since the surgical incisions are smaller and blood loss is much less.
Shorter time with urinary catheter as well.
In robotic prostatectomy surgery the catheter can be removed within 6-7 days because the urinary bladder and urinary tract can be sewn to each other in a watertight manner (anastomosis).
3. Less pain.
Due to the smaller incisions, patients feel less pain compared to open surgeries.
Better cancer control. With the help of 3-dimensional high-resolution images and instruments that can move 7 degrees, the surgeon can see and dissect the cancerous prostate tissue more accurately in robotic prostatectomy. In robotic surgery, the apical region of the prostate is seen and cut much better and more clearly. As a result, surgical margin positivity is significantly reduced.
4. Better urine control.
Urinary control is achieved earlier in robotic prostatectomy compared to open radical prostatectomy. Better visualization, less bleeding, and the ability to maintain a longer urethral length are factors that enable early urinary control.
5. Earlier return to sexual life.
In suitable patients, the preservation of the nerve-vascular bundle around the prostate can be done better with robotic prostatectomy and the sexual performance returns to normal earlier in these patients.
