Open surgery is still gold standard for radical prostatectomy

Abstract

Open radical prostatectomy is considered as the standart of care for localised prostate cancer. It has longterm followup results and has a proven efficacy over cancer control and preservation of functional outcomes. Robot asisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is a minimally invasive surgical technique that brought some advantages to the field and has been adapted by urologic surgeons and patients in a very short time. Advantages of robotic surgery include decreased blood loss and transfusion rates comparable to open technique, wheras major disadvantages are high cost and absence of longterm results. In this article the main reasons for open surgery stil remaining the standart of care procedure are discussed.