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“Laparoscopic surgery for prostate cancer is a new and welcome frontier for patients who have localized prostate cancer,” said Reza Ghavamian, MD, the Montefiore urologist and surgeon who performs the operation. “It is an important new alternative to open surgery, and just as effective, yet provides patients a quicker recovery time.”
The robotic arm is used to hold steady a tiny camera that is inserted inside the patient during the operation, which lasts several hours. “Using the robotic arm provides superior visualization and magnification of the prostate. This allows surgeons to preserve nerve and muscle fibers which are responsible for potency and continence,” he said.
Until recently, prostate cancer patients had the option of open surgery, called a radical prostatectomy, or brachytherapy, in which miniscule radioactive seeds, implanted throughout the prostate, destroy cancerous tissue and leave healthy tissue intact.
“While as effective as open surgery, which remains the gold standard for prostate cancer, laparoscopic surgery has several advantages,” said Ghavamian. “Finer instruments are used so that the visualization of the site is better, recovery is quicker, the post-operation catheter can be removed sooner and blood loss is minimal. In addition, for obese patients, using a laparoscope for surgery has the advantage of being less cumbersome. Laparoscopic surgery, however, takes longer than open surgery.”
Montefiore Medical Center, The University Hospital and Academic Medical Center for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is an internationally recognized leader in patient care, education, research and community services. Montefiore provides treatment programs for patients with all major illnesses and has distinguished centers of excellence in heart care, cancer care, children’s health, women’s health and surgery.
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