Prostate Surgery

The gold standard treatment option for men under 70 with early-stage, organ-confined cancer is surgical removal of the prostate using nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy. Prostatectomy is also the most widely used treatment for prostate cancer today in the US.

The primary goal of prostatectomy is removal of the cancer. A secondary goal is to preserve urinary function and – when applicable – erectile function. Preservation of the nerves necessary for erections can be an extremely important goal for patients. These nerves run alongside the prostate and are often damaged when removing the prostate. A nerve-sparing prostatectomy attempts to preserve these nerves so that the patient may be able to return to his prior erectile function.

Types of Prostatectomy

At OHSU, surgical removal of the prostate can be done as traditional open surgery or laparoscopically, using robotic surgery and the da Vinci Surgical System ®.

Open Surgery: With a traditional open procedure, your surgeon uses an 8-10 inch incision to access the prostate. This approach often results in substantial blood loss, a lengthy, uncomfortable recovery, and a risk of impotence and incontinence.

Robotic Surgery: Robotic surgery expands the benefits of conventional laparoscopic surgery. It is well suited for complex procedures where the goal is protect the nerves. As with other minimally invasive surgeries, patients often are in the hospital fewer days and have fewer complications. At OHSU, our surgeons use the da Vinci Surgical System ® to perform prostatectomies.