An article in Medpage Today noted “Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) led to complication rates, readmission rates, and rates of additional cancer therapy similar to those of conventional surgical prostatectomy, a review of almost 6,000 cases showed.”
“First-year reimbursements were greater for patients undergoing robot assisted compared with open radical prostatectomy.”
“Introduced a decade ago, robot-assisted prostatectomy has become the dominant surgical technique for patients with localized prostate cancer. Investigators in some studies have suggested that robotic prostatectomy has driven the overall prostatectomy rate to a level beyond what would have been expected given current demographic and clinical trends.”
“In the absence of randomized trials, proponents and opponents of RARP have relied on retrospective and observational or population-based studies to compare outcomes with RARP versus conventional open surgery. Many of the studies relied on results from early in the robotic period. Whether results would differ with more contemporary data remained unclear.”
Click here to read the full Medpage Today article “Robot Versus Surgeon: No Clear Winner” by Charles Bankhead.
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Doctor, Did You Wash Your Hands? ™ provides information to consumers on understanding, managing and navigating health care options.
Jonathan M. Metsch, Dr.P.H., is Clinical Professor, Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and Adjunct Professor, Baruch College ( C.U.N.Y.), Rutgers School of Public Health, and Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration.
This blog shares general information about understanding and navigating the health care system. For specific medical advice about your own problems, issues and options talk to your personal physician.