Robot-assisted surgery is no better treatment for prostate cancer

The fact men like shiny new machines may partly explain the growing popularity of robot-assisted surgery for treating prostate cancer.

But a new study, released this week Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, has found that the state-of-the-art robotic procedure really isn’t substantially better than the old-fashioned method for removing the male gland when it has become cancerous.

The study found few significant differences in outcomes. Patients tended to bleed less and recover faster with the keyhole surgery. But in terms of postoperative complications within a year of the surgery – including incontinence resulting from tissue damage – the level of risk appears to be equal with the different procedures.
But the newest procedure is certainly more expensive.

However, the current study did not evaluate the risk of impotence or erectile dysfunction because it usually takes more than a year to determine if there is permanent damage. Research on this question continues.