Robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy: a report of the current state

Cancer of the prostate is the most common malignancy diagnosed in the male genitourinary tract. Although a number of treatment options are available for early prostate cancer, the gold standard of treatment remains retropubic radical prostatectomy. However, robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) has become a forerunner in treatment options, yielding comparable medium-term perioperative and functional outcomes. For this our team utilized MEDLINE, searching for publications on perioperative and functional outcomes related to robotic prostatectomy. Robotic-assisted prostatectomy has allowed urologists to enter the realm of minimally invasive surgery by incorporating open surgery maneuvers into a laparoscopic environment. To date, RALP perioperative and functional outcomes are comparable to the gold standard; the collection of long-term data is needed in order to establish its true efficacy.