What are the different types of surgery for prostate cancer?
The following are some of the different surgical options used to treat prostate cancer: • radical prostatectomy – an open-surgery procedure in which the entire prostate gland and some tissue around it are removed. This surgery involves an incision in either the abdomen or the area behind the scrotum. • laparoscopic radical prostatectomy – a less-invasive type of radical prostatectomy in which the prostate gland is removed through small incisions using a laparoscope (a long, flexible lighted tube with a video camera attached). This type of procedure may also be performed by a surgeon using a robot to precisely maneuver surgical tools. • transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) – surgery to remove part of the prostate gland that surrounds the urethra by using a small tool that is placed inside the prostate through the urethra. There is no incision with this method. TURP is used as a palliative procedure (to relieve symptoms), not as a procedure to cure the cancer. • cryosurgery – a
