Surgical Options

SURGICAL OPTIONS

Early detection is important as it offers the best opportunity for successful treatment.

Cancer of the prostate can be treated in many ways. So, in developing a treatment plan, you and your doctor must discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each treatment. If a patient has a greater than 10 year life expectancy and is generally in good health, the two primary treatment options would be either surgical removal of the prostate or treatment of the prostate with radiation. Surgery typically is recommended due to it's high cure rates. However, other treatment options exist and are discussed below.

Surgery - Davinci Robotic Surgery

Surgery can be used to remove the cancer from the prostate and from nearby areas where the cancer has spread. Surgery remains the gold standard for prostate cancer treatment with the highest reported cure rates for all cancer stages. It involves the removal of the prostate gland, seminal vesicles, and sometimes the pelvic lymph nodes. The "old" type of prostate surgery involves a large cut in the belly through which the surgery is performed. Problems with this approach include an average blood loss of over a liter, pain that can limit full activity for a few months, and an extended period of urinary incontinence. The latest advance in surgery is daVinci ® robotic prostate surgery. With tens of thousands of cases performed using this approach daVinci® robotic prostate surgery is setting a higher standard of care in prostate cancer treatment. It is the same removal of the prostate but with tiny cuts, little if any blood loss, 23 hours in the hospital, minimal pain, a rapid return to full activity, a rapid return of urinary and sexual function,and cancer removal rates that equal and in some cases are even better than what is seen with the old surgery.

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU)

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is Cutting Edge, Intensely focused Ultrasound, therapy for prostate cancer that destroys tissue with rapid heat elevation, essentially “cooking” it. Ultrasound energy, or sound waves, is focused at a specific location, raising the temperature to almost 90 degrees Celsius in seconds. Tissue outside the focal point is unharmed, allowing the patient to have a non-surgical, limited blood loss, quick recovery, outpatient, radiation free treatment.

Although studies cannot show long range (20-30 year outcomes) they do indicate this treatment is comparable to standard treatments with the added benefit of low risk of impotence or incontinence. The FDA has not approved the Sonablate® 500 for use within the US, but it is being studied for clinical trials here and has been approved in Canada, Argentina, Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and Mexico. Dr. Giesler and Dr. Chopp are offering an informational seminar about this new technology.

Cryotherapy

A newer modality being used to treat prostate cancer. A very minimally invasive approach to prostate cancer with minimal pain and a short recovery. The cure rates, however, are reported to be slightly less than that of surgery and impotence rates are up to 97%.