Laser may reduce prostate surgery’s sexual side effects

A Pilot study by NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia urologic surgeons reports that a new laser technology used with robotic prostate cancer surgery may reduce the risk of damaging the crucial nerves necessary for erections and urinary continence. This is a great achievement, as one of the challenges of prostate cancer surgery is removing the cancer-affected gland without side effects. The procedure is estimated to cause long-term sexual dysfunction in half of men.

Published in the July online issue of the Journal of Endourology, the pilot study is the first to evaluate the CO2 laser for prostate cancer. The research was also presented recently at the American Urological Association annual meeting in San Francisco.