Radical prostatectomy: time trends, morbidity and quality of life

In recent years, increased screening for prostate cancer, primarily with prostate-specific antigen testing, has led to an apparent increase in the incidence of prostate cancer and resulted in a shift to an earlier patient age and tumor stage at diagnosis. From the early 1980s, there have been great advances in surgical technique. In the 1990s, radical prostatectomy gained popularity among Japanese urologists. Time trends and morbidity of contemporary anatomical radical prostatectomy in Japan are reported here. In addition, the quality of life in men undergoing radical prostatectomy is discussed.