Prostate cancer patients receiving robotic prostatectomy -- an advanced procedure to remove the prostate using a surgical robot -- have excellent outcomes five years after surgery, reports a new study published recently in the journal Cancer.

"In highly experienced hands, the results after robotic surgery are outstanding for cancer control, with minimal complications and few side effects of urinary incontinence and sexual dysfunction," said Ketan K. Badani, co-author of the study and the new director of robotic surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center (the teaching hospital for Weill Cornell Medical College), who based the findings on 2,766 procedures conducted over a six-year period.

"In addition, blood loss is far less than with traditional surgery. This, along with minimizing trauma to the body tissues, translates into short hospital stays, and more importantly, quick recovery."

The study found that 93 percent of patients achieved normal urinary function; slightly more than 7 percent had a recurrence of prostate cancer symptoms; and nearly 80 percent reported normal sexual function.