When Facing Prostate Surgery Experience Really Is Important

With the majority of things in life it is true to say that the more practiced and experienced you are the better your performance and this is most certainly true when it comes to prostate cancer surgery.

A significant problem with cancer is that, despite the best efforts of your surgeon, it has a nasty habit of recurring in a number of cases. In the case of prostate cancer following the removal of the prostate through radical prostatectomy recent studies have revealed that, while the chances of a recurrence are about 18 percent where surgery is carried out by a relatively inexperienced surgeon, this figure falls to less than 11 percent in more experience hands. So exactly what do we mean by 'experienced hands'?

A recently conducted study examined 7,800 prostate cancer patients who underwent radical prostatectomy in the United States between 1987 and 2003 involving a total of 72 surgeons from 4 major academic cancer centers around the country.

The study found that there is a very steep learning curve when it comes to carrying out prostate surgery and that it requires considerable practice to master this particular surgical technique. Indeed, the study revealed that it was not until surgeons had carried out at least 250 operations that a marked improvement in outcomes was seen.

So exactly what can we learn from this study if we are faced with the prospect of requiring prostate surgery?

First it is extremely important for patients to select a surgeon who frequently performs this type of surgery. Indeed, it might well be advisable to select a surgeon who specializes exclusively in prostate surgery, or whose work revolves largely around such surgery. In the majority of general hospital settings surgeons will carry out such surgery infrequently, perhaps as rarely as just once a year, and this is not sufficient to give them the expertise necessary to provide you with the best possible change of a low recurrence rate.

In the light of this therefore your first choice should undoubtedly be that of a specialist cancer treatment center and of a surgeon whose work involves exclusively, or very largely, prostate surgery.

The study also showed however that there is a marked improvement in recurrence rates not only for specialist cancer centers, but also for teaching hospitals. This is because, within an academic setting, a great deal of emphasis is placed upon supporting mechanisms to evaluate the outcome of procedures and to provide feedback in an effort to create an environment in which continuous improvement is seen. This tends not always to be the case in non-academic environments. Also, academic centers tend to attract people who are especially interested not only in the outcome of their work but in correcting their errors and improving their surgical technique.

So, should you find yourself in the position of requiring prostate surgery then you would be well advised to elect to have surgery with an experienced surgeon working in a specialist cancer center housed within a major teaching facility.

About the author:

By Donald Saunders

ProstateProblemCenter.com provides information on prostate cancer symptoms and all aspects of prostate cancer including prostate cancer treatment

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