Source: Tara Parker-Pope – Health – New York Times Blog
One in five men who undergoes prostate surgery to treat cancer later regrets the decision, a new study shows. And surprisingly, regret is highest among men who opt for robotic prostatectomy, a minimally invasive surgery that is growing in popularity as a treatment.
The research, published in the medical journal European Urology, is the latest to suggest that technological advances in prostate surgery haven’t necessarily translated to better results for the men on which it is performed. It also adds to growing concerns that men are being misled about the real risks and benefits of robotic surgical procedures used to treat prostate cancer.
This was an interesting article about prostate cancer satisfaction rates. The important point was that patients who underwent robotic prostatectomy were not as satisfied as patients that underwent conventionally surgery. It is interesting to read the comments as well.
The important things that I have done that I believe give me a higher satisfaction rate is to better explain how the procedure is still a major surgery. I know that my patients expect less problems and I believe they do have less problems. The important thing is to have them understand it is still a major surgery that is similar to open surgery in what we are trying to accomplish.
That being said, once expectations are realistic, most patienst are satisfied. I do notice that the satisfaction rate is often higher in patients that have worse than expected incontinence. After several weeks to months, once the urinary control is back to normal people have a much higher satisfaction rate.