Defense of the radical perineal prostatectomy

There is sharp disagreement as to what constitutes the proper surgical approach to localized carcinoma of the prostate. We have performed 31 radical perineal prostatectomies in a six-year period with no mortality and minimal morbidity. Thirteen of these patients were understaged preoperatively and had extraprostatic cancer; however, only one has died from his tumor. One patient is incontinent but none has troublesome local symptoms. These patients required an average of 15 postoperative days, none required more than two units of blood, and careful preoperative consultation has minimized the psychologic stress of impotence. These data contrast sharply with the published morbidity and mortality statistics associated with a preliminary staging lymphadenectomy and a definitive radical retropubic prostatectomy. Also, we are convinced that our patients with stage C cancer have been done a real service by removing the prostate gland even though cancer remains in the stumps of the seminal vesicles. Unless the advocates of the staged procedure can demonstrate an improvement in the patients' survival data, we believe the radical perineal prostatectomy remains the procedure of choice for the cure of localized prostatic cancer and we would advocate this operation as an acceptable palliative approach to selected patients with stage C lesions.