"Prostate cancer surgery is one surgery in which we don't get credit by what we take out. We get credit by what we leave behind." Dr. Tewari and Dr. Schlegel, of the Dept. of Urology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, go over the basics of prostate surgery, including the different types of surgery available.

Dr. Tewari:



Prostate Cancer surgery is one surgery where we don't get any credits for what we take out. We get credit by what we leave behind.



Prostate happens to be a very small, bulbous structure situated in a very strategic location which is surrounded all around by certain nerves which just happen to be nearby, but are actually supporting the erection.



Dr. Schlegel:



Surgical treatment for prostate cancer involves removing the entire prostate and about a millimeter of tissue outside of it. Together that's what's referred to as a radical prostatectomy.



Dr. Tewari:



Patient kind of evaluates what's his best likelihood of living longest with A versus B versus C kind of a treatment. And when outcomes are pretty equal, sometime patients are more comfortable with getting it out of their body, and especially in patients who are quite healthy and young.