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Treatment Comparison

Confidence in Knowing Your Status

Prostate Cancer Treatment Comparison

For localized prostate cancer removing the prostate through radical prostatectomy has traditionally been considered the definitive way to treat the cancer.1

Removing the cancerous prostate lets your doctor see the extentand nature of the cancer. This step can be critical: In clinicalstudies,up to 35% of tumors are undergraded; in other words, theyare more aggressive than the pre-surgery assessment and biopsyresults indicated.2

Margin status refers to whether or not there is cancerpresent at the very edge (the margin) of the removed prostategland. A negative margin means that all edges of the prostate arefree from cancer cells. A negative margin is a good indicator thatall of the cancer has been removed.

This guide was designed to provide patients with information on the surgical treatment of prostate cancer, which can be performed in a very precise, minimally invasive manner using the da Vinci® Surgical System.

 

Surgery: Preserving Your Options

Choosing surgery over radiation can make it easier for your doctor to detect a cancer recurrence, through careful PSA* monitoring, after a radical prostatectomy than after radiation therapy.3It can also help preserve your radiation treatment options if yourcancer returns. After radiation therapy, there may be damage tothe tissue surrounding the prostate. If you have tissue damage,nerve-sparing surgery may no longer be an option should yourcancer recur. However, radiation usually remains an option forpatients who have had surgery to treat their prostate cancer.4

*PSA= Prostate-Specific Antigen, a protein that may indicate the presence of cancer.

1Prostate cancer clinical guideline update panel. Guideline for the management of clinically localized prostate cancer: 2007 update. Linthicum (MD): American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. 2007; 82.
2King CR, Patterns of prostate cancer biopsy grading: trends and clinical implications. Int J. Cancer (Radiat. Oncol. Invest.) 2000; 90,305-311.
3Di Blasio, C. J., A. C. Rhee, et al. Predicting clinical end points: treatment nomograms in prostate cancer. Semin Oncol. 2005; 30(5):567-86.
4Carlucci JR, Nabizada-Pace F, Samadi DB. Organ-confined prostate cancer and the emergence of robotic prostatectomy: What primary care physicians and geriatricians need to know. Geriatrics. 2009; 64(2):8-14.

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While clinical studies support the effectiveness of the da Vinci Surgical System when used in minimally invasive surgery, individual results may vary. There are no guarantees of outcome. All surgeries involve the risk of major complications. Before you decide on surgery, discuss treatment options with your doctor. Understanding the risks of each treatment can help you make the best decision for your individual situation. Surgery with the da Vinci Surgical System may not be appropriate for every individual; it may not be applicable to your condition. Always ask your doctor about all treatment options, as well as their risks and benefits. Only your doctor can determine whether da Vinci Surgery is appropriate for your situation. The clinical information and opinions, including any inaccuracies expressed in this material by patients or doctor about da Vinci Surgery are not necessarily those of Intuitive Surgical, Inc. and should not be considered as substitute for medical advice provided by your doctor. All persons depicted are models unless otherwise noted. © 2012 Intuitive Surgical. All rights reserved. Intuitive, Intuitive Surgical, da Vinci, da Vinci S, da Vinci Si, Single-Site,  InSite, TilePro and EndoWrist are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intuitive Surgical. All other product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

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"Surgery Found Best for Survival in Localized Prostate Cancer"

Read the article on MedPageToday.com.