When you have a cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland, several laparoscopy treatment options are available for you at the Minimally Invasive Urology Institute in conjuction with the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute.
If your PSA (prostate specific antigen) value is high and it is necessary to rule out involvement of the lymph nodes in the pelvis, laparoscopy and removal of the lymph nodes is a less invasive treatment option for you. Five small cuts are made in the lower abdomen to reach the lymph nodes with the laparoscopic instruments. This procedure usually requires an overnight stay.
If removal of the prostate gland by surgery has been suggested to you, you may be a candidate for the laparoscopy approach. Laparoscopy allows more precise viewing of the prostate and adjacent organs, magnified at 12 times their actual size.
The enlarged view of the area helps the surgeon preserve the nerves that control erection of the penis and make the sutures (stitches) to reconnect the urethra with the bladder, helping to preserve the patient's continence (ability to hold your urine without leaking). Whether this leads to improved potency (ability to achieve an erection) and continence is under study.
Early data from centers in Europe suggest that it does. Physicians at the Minimally Invasive Urology Institute have personally investigated this novel procedure and have done extensive laboratory research to offer this approach to selected patients.
Freezing of the prostate (cryoablation) is another treatment option for patients unable or unwilling to undergo surgery or other treatments, such as radiation therapy.
