Surgery

Surgery

If the cancer has not spread beyond the prostate, the whole prostate and some tissue around it may be removed. This is called a radical prostatectomy. It is done to cure the cancer.You will need to stay in hospital for 5 to 7 days. You will be able to get back to normal activities within six weeks. If it is not possible to remove the prostate, surgery may be used to remove the blockages in the urinary tract. This operation is called a transurethral resection of the prostate. This should relieve symptoms such as the need th pass urine more often than normal.

A telescope like instrument is passed up the urethra through the penis. An instrument inside the telescope is then used to remove the blockage. This type of operation is also used to treat BPH. Men with advanced prostate cancer may be advised to have an orchidectomy. This is surgery, which removes the testicles, to lower the level of testosterone and slow the growth of prostate cancer cells. Refer to ‘hormone treatment’, late in this section, for more information.

• Side effects of surgery

A radical prostectomy will cause some degree of urinary incontinence (loss of bladder control) in many men. This will be temporary in most men and less than 5% will have any significant permanent incontinence.

Virtually all men will have a change in their sexual function and most men will have erectile dysfunction (also known as impotence). Some men will improve but more than 70% will have ongoing problems. Urethral operations will be necessary in some men to correct strictures (narrowing) in the urethra.