The complete removal of the prostate (radical prostatectomy) is primarily recommended as a treatment method when the cancer is localised in the prostate. This surgery is currently the most common treatment approach and is an established, tried-and-tested method. It has been used to treat localised prostate carcinoma for many years.
The Martini-Klinik is a global leader in terms of the number of prostatectomy procedures performed. Our surgeons have operated on more than 34,000 patients. The Martini-Klinik performs more than 2,600 prostatectomies* every year.
This figure is all the more impressive when you consider that only 17% of all urology departments in Germany achieve the recommended minimum of 50 radical prostatectomies per year. It is indisputable that extensive surgical experience is a crucial factor in providing safe tumour control and securing the best possible quality of life for patients after such procedures.
The prostatectomy
How is the prostate removed? And how are continence and potency maintained if oncologically possible. A short explanatory film.
4.08 minutes
Many patients shy away from this procedure out of fear they will become incontinent or impotent. These issues occur when the neurovascular bundles located very close to the prostate are damaged or removed during the operation, or when the sphincter that controls the flow of urine cannot be entirely spared.
Removing only the tumour while leaving the rest of the prostate intact is only an option in rare cases. More than 80% of all prostate tumours are multifocal, which means that there are multiple small tumour lesions in the prostate. Such lesions cannot be seen by the naked eye during surgery. We therefore perform a fresh-frozen section analysis during the operation (called the NeuroSAFE technique) to determine whether the tumour extends beyond the capsule. This tells us whether we can spare the nerves adjacent to the prostate or if they must also be removed.
At the Martini-Klinik, we place special emphasis on preserving patients’ potency and continence when removing the prostate.
This involves carefully removing the very fine layer containing the neurovascular structures responsible for continence and erectile function from the prostate, leaving them fully intact. The full length of the sphincter is also spared and retained. In most cases, this approach preserves patients’ continence and potency at same level as before the operation.
The complete removal of the prostate (radical prostatectomy) is primarily recommended as a treatment method when the cancer is localised in the prostate. This surgery is currently the most common treatment approach and is an established, tried-and-tested method. It has been used to treat localised prostate carcinoma for many years.
