Robotic prostatectomy: a review of outcomes compared with laparoscopic and open approaches

Prostate cancer affects the lives of millions of Americans each year. Since the advent of prostate-specific antigen testing, many cancers are found in initial stages and have the potential for curative resection; however, choosing which type of surgery to undergo can be a difficult task. This article reviews the outcomes of robotic prostatectomy in comparison with laparoscopic or open procedures. A PubMed search was performed to identify specific articles describing intraoperative details, surgical complications, cancer control, and continence and potency outcomes. Articles that revealed pertinent data were included in this study comparing robotic with laparoscopic or open prostatectomies.