Robotic prostate surgery pays off

IN PERFECTING the science of medicine,advancements always face exhaustive scrutiny and opposition. Typically, these rigors focus on confirming the efficacy of a procedure or treatment to ensure it remains in the patient's best interest for healing or wellness. More recently in the U.S., with heightened emphasis on government-funded healthcare, medical procedures such as robotic prostatectomy surgery for prostate cancer treatment are under fire for cost.

A study published in the Journal of Urology undertook a type of cost-benefit analysis of robotic surgery, specifically prostate removal surgery and kidney surgery. Researchers found robot-assisted surgeries to be safer than laparoscopic surgery and traditional, open surgery.

At the same time, they reported a higher price tag for the robotic procedures and as leading robotic prostate cancer treatment expert Dr David Samadi comments, “sadly, this is the component that gets top press.”

Robotic prostatectomy surgery is a leading treatment option for men diagnosed with localised prostate cancer. During the procedure,a skilled surgeon guides the fine instruments of the robot through laparoscopic-type incisions to perform the precise and delicate procedure.

Dr Samadi is the vice chairman, Department of Urology, and the chief of Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery at the Mount Sinai Medical Centre in New York City. As a board-certified urologist and an oncologist specialising in the diagnosis and treatment of urologic diseases, kidney cancer, bladder cancer,and prostate cancer, he also specialises in many advanced minimally invasive treatments for prostate cancer, including his newest robotic surgery procedure, SMART Surgery.

Prostate removal surgery has been shownto reduce the relative risk of prostate cancer specific mortality. Some prostate cancer experts advocate a watchful waiting approach to prostate cancer believed to be less aggressive or slow growing. Men who choose this path must maintain great vigilance with heightened screening regimens that could last a lifetime.

To date, Dr Samadi has performed more than 4,000 successful robotic prostatectomy procedures. With his own SMART SurgerNew Balance Mens Shoes