UroToday.com – Erectile dysfunction is the most commonly recognized side effect of radical prostatectomy (RP) for prostate cancer (CaP). However, post-surgery penile length shortening (PLS) is known to occur in up to three-fourths of men. The impact of PLS has not previously been assessed.

The mechanism causing PLS is not known, but may be related to anatomic changes or fibrosis and scaring in the retropubic space. Studies suggest that men are more concerned with penile length than women, and that men desiring penile lengthening actually have normal penile length. The goal of this study that appears in the more…

New research indicates that the use of minimally invasive procedures (including the use of robotic assistance) for radical prostatectomy, which have increased significantly in recent years, may shorten hospital stays and decrease respiratory and surgical complications, but may also result in an increased rate of certain complications, including incontinence and erectile dysfunction, according to a study in the October 14 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on surgical care.
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UroToday.com – Most recently, health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) after definitive local therapy for prostate cancer has been argued in the patient group with an oncological risk category. [1] Prior to such controversy, we thought that posttreatment HRQOL issues or functional outcomes possibly vary among oncological risk categories, and compared both oncological and functional outcomes between patients receiving radical prostatectomy (RP) and those undergoing external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) with risk stratification. [2] Indeed, we found that the low- and intermediate-risk patients in the RP group reported poorer urinary function than those in the EBRT group.
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UroToday.com – The concept behind nerve grafting is to make use of one’s own nerves, which play a minimal functional role, as conduits to promote the regrowth of new nerve fibers. In certain patients with prostate cancer, the nerves crucial for erectile function (cavernous nerves) may need to be cut in the interest of removing high-risk cancer. In these situations, the genitofemoral nerve can be interposed (grafted) as a conduit to promote regrowth of new nerve fibers. Our study examined the feasibility and success of this in patients with prostate cancer as well as those with bladder cancer, in which the prostate is also removed.
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