NEW YORK, July 1 NY-MtSinai-Prostate
NEW YORK, July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Prostate cancer is the second leading
cause of death among American males, but when caught early, prostate cancer
has a 90% cure rate.
According to Dr. David Samadi, Chief, Division of Robotics and Minimally
Invasive Surgery, Department of Urology, at Mount Sinai Medical Center, "The
key to fighting prostate cancer is not to wait until there are warning signs,
because by then it may be too late."
The tendency of prostate cancer to grow without causing noticeable
symptoms leads doctors to recommend that men over 50 get screened every year.
However, Dr. Samadi recommends that anyone with a strong family history of the
disease or other risk factors get screened at age 40.
Routine screening for prostate cancer consists of a PSA (prostate-specific
antigen) blood test and a digital rectal exam. Most doctors regard a PSA score
of less than 4.0 as normal, however, Dr. Samadi regards a jump in PSA velocity
to be a warning sign. For example, an increase in the PSA velocity from 0.8
one year to 1.6 the following may be a red flag requiring a biopsy to test for
cancer cells. If there is need for treatment, there are surgical options for
removal of the prostate with varying outcomes that can dramatically impact the
recovery process and quality of life.
"The most common treatment for prostate cancer is surgical removal of the
prostate or prostatectomy traditionally done by open surgery," Dr. Samadi
says. "While results of open surgery are generally excellent, there are
distinct downsides. For one thing, the surgeon makes an 8- to 10-inch incision
to remove a 2-inch organ, which causes enough blood loss that about 20 percent
of patients require a blood transfusion. That large incision also means more
pain and a higher risk of infection."
Robotic prostate surgery is virtually "bloodless" and involves five small
"keyhole" incisions in the patient's abdomen, through which fine instruments
are inserted, along with a miniscule camera that displays magnified images
from inside the body. The robotic control system enables the surgeon's hand
movements to be more precise, resulting in less trauma to surrounding tissue,
and minimal blood loss. Men who opt for robotic laparoscopic surgery are
cancer free and able to resume normal lifestyles with total control over their
sexual functions and bladder. Cancer free outcomes also result from
traditional open prostate surgery, but men are rendered impotent and
incontinent -- both of which may never be reversed. These side effects are
devastating to prostate cancer patients, and have led to failed marriages and
relationships, and depression.
Instead of two to three days of hospitalization and two months of
recuperation typical with open surgery, robotic surgery patients go home the
next day and are back to normal activities within two weeks. These patients
have an excellent chance of being cancer-free with great quality of life. For
more information, call 212-241-8779 or log on to www.roboticoncology.com.
Media Contact: Cathy Callegari -- 212-579-1370 or cathy@callprinc.com
SOURCE Dr. David Samadi, Mount Sinai Medical Center
