Dr Abhay Kumar, MBBS; MS;DNB (urology), Consultant urologist,Uro-oncologist & Robotic Surgeon, Narayana Superspeciality Hospital Howrah, Kolkata
Prostate cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the prostate. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It is about the size of a walnut and surrounds the urethra (the tube which empties urine from the bladder). The prostate gland produces fluid which makes up part of the semen.
Prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer affecting men. More than seventy percent of men diagnosed with prostate cancer each year are over the age of 65. There are no noticeable symptoms of prostate cancer while it is still in the early stages, making the PSA test a critical screening tool. The optimal time for prostate cancer treatment is before symptoms appear. In more advanced stages, symptoms may include difficult or frequent urination, blood in the urine or bone pain.
If the cancer has not spread outside the prostate gland, surgical removal of the prostate and surrounding tissues is the standard choice of treatment. The main type of surgery for prostate cancer is a radical prostatectomy. Conventionally, radical prostatectomy was carried out using open surgery. However, with the advent of recent technologies radical prostatectomy is carried out using minimal invasive techniques such as laparoscopy and robotic prostate surgery.
Robotic surgery, or robot-assisted surgery, is advancement in surgical techniques where a surgeon uses a computerized robotic arm with small tools attached to it to carry out complex surgeries. Robotic surgical system provides the surgeon a high-definition, magnified (12Ă—), 3-D view of the surgical site. The surgical instruments are controlled by the surgeon using the console, to direct special surgical instruments which are smaller in size, and more flexible than the human hand.