• Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer affecting men and is the third leading cause of cancer deaths among men, after lung and colorectal cancer. There are 234,460 new cases diagnosed annually, and 27,350 men die every year from the disease.1

  • Although one in six men will have prostate cancer during their lifetime, thanks to advancements in medical technology, only one in 34 men will die of the disease.1 Since the early 1990s, more men have started to undergo regular screening tests to detect prostate cancer early. As a result, the prostate cancer death rate has dropped significantly.1

  • The earlier prostate cancer cells are caught, the better chance patients have of surviving the disease and the lower the cost of treatment. The two most utilized screening tests are the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) exam and the digital rectal exam (DRE). A recent study found that the cost per year of life saved by prostate cancer screening with PSA and DRE tests was between $3,574 and $4,627.2 A new type of PSA test is called a “free PSA” test, which provides a finer screen of patients who test positive with a PSA test, eliminating 20 percent of unnecessary biopsies.3

  • Many patients undergo a radical prostatectomy, or surgery to remove the entire prostate and some surrounding tissue. The traditional approach to this procedure is invasive and requires lengthy surgery and recovery times. However, since 1999, patients have benefited from a new option - minimally invasive radical prostatectomy. The latest generation procedure, in which the surgeon uses a robot, allows for even greater precision and a less invasive surgery. A recent study found that minimally invasive surgical procedures are comparable in cost to traditional “open” surgical procedures, due to the shorter operation and recovery time, which generally lead to a shorter hospital stay.4
Medical Technology Advances Prostate Cancer Treatment
 Radical RetropubicPerinealMinimally Invasive
Incision Size and LocationA large incision (8-10 centimeters) is made in the lower abdomen5A 4-centimeter incision is made between the anus and the scrotum (Several small incisions1
Risk17.6% experience urinary incontinence64% experience urinary incontinence710% of patients reported problems with urinary incontinence8
Surgery time208.1 minutes9188 minutes10130 minutes11
Post-surgical hospital Stay6-7 days122-3 days18-23 hours11
Total cost of procedure$9,1691$7,10013$6,76014
Post surgical catheter time1-3 weeks11-3 weeks15 days15


  1. American Cancer Society. “Overview: Prostate Cancer.” http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/ CRI221XHowmanymengetprostatecancer36.asp?rnav=cri (24 April 2006).

  2. Benoit R, Gronberg H, Naslund M. “A quantitative analysis of the costs and benefits of prostate cancer screening.” Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 4(3) (2001):138-145.

  3. Catalona W, et al. “Use of the percentage of free prostate specific antigen to enhance differentiation of prostate cancer from benign prostatic diseases: a prospective multicenter clinical trial.” Journal of the American Medical Association. 279 (1998):1542-1547.

  4. Lotan Y, Cadeddu J, Gettman M. “The new economics of radical prostatectomy: cost comparison of open, laparoscopic and robot assisted techniques.” Journal of Urology 172 (2004):1431-5.

  5. Prostate Cancer Treatment Guide. “Information about retropubic prostatectomy.” http://www.prostate-cancer.com/prostatectomy/treatment-description/prostatectomy-description.html (24 April 2006).

  6. Reis F, Netto N, Reinato J, et al. “The impact of prostatectomy and brachytherapy in patients with localized prostate cancer.” Int Urol Nephrol 36(2) (2004):187-90.

  7. Harris M. “Radical perineal prostatectomy: cost efficient, outcome effective, minimally invasive prostate cancer management.” Eur Urol 44(3) (2003):303-8.

  8. Carlsson S, Nilsson A, Wiklund P. “Postoperative urinary continence after robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.” Scand J Urol Nephrol 40(2) (2006):103-7.

  9. Lepor H, Kaci L. “Contemporary evaluation of operative parameters and complications related to open radical retropubic prostatectomy.” Urology 62(4) (2003):702-6.

  10. Dahm P, Yang B, Salmen C, et al. “Radical perineal prostatectomy for the treatment of localized prostate cancer in morbidly obese patients.” Journal of Urology 174(1) (2005):131-4.

  11. Joseph J, Rosenbaum R, Madeb R, et al. “Robotic extraperitoneal radical prostatectomy: an alternative approach.” Journal of Urology 175 (2006):945-51.

  12. Aguilo L, Suarez N, Planes M, et al. “Radical prostatectomy. A review of our series between 1997-2003.” Actas Urol Esp 29(6) (2005):542-9.

  13. Silverstein A, Weizer A, Dowell J, et al. “Cost comparison of radical retropubic and radical perineal prostatectomy: single institution experience.” Urology 63(4) (2004):746-50.

  14. Anderson J, Murdock A, Cadeddu J, et al. “Cost comparison of laparoscopic versus radical retropubic prostatectomy.” Urology 66(3) (2005):557-60.

  15. Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. “Statistics about robotic surgery.” http://www.roboticoncology.com/index.php (24 April 2006).
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