Overview

Radical prostatectomy is surgery to remove the prostate gland and surrounding lymph nodes. This surgery is offered as a treatment for men with prostate cancer.

A surgeon can perform a radical prostatectomy using different techniques, including:

• Robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy. The surgeon makes several small incisions in your lower abdomen to remove the prostate. He or she sits at a console, using instruments attached to a mechanical device (robot).
• Open radical prostatectomy. The surgeon makes an incision in your lower abdomen to remove the prostate. Rarely, this incision is made between your anus and scrotum (perineal surgery).
• Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. The surgeon makes several small incisions in your lower abdomen and inserts special tools to remove the prostate.

Your surgical team will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each technique, as well as your preferences, to determine which approach is best for you.

Read more about open prostatectomy.

Why choose Mayo Clinic for radical prostatectomy

• Expertise. Mayo Clinic prostate specialists are leaders in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate conditions.
• Experience. Mayo Clinic urologists have been performing radical prostatectomy procedures for several decades and perform more than 1,000 of these procedures each year, helping ensure the highest level of care. Research suggests that outcomes for people after surgery are directly linked to the number of surgeries the surgeon has performed.
• Newest technology. Mayo Clinic surgeons are leaders in robotic surgery. Using instruments attached to a robot during laparoscopic surgery helps the surgeon make more precise movements with surgical tools than is possible with traditional laparoscopic surgery.
• Latest research. Mayo Clinic researchers are actively involved in studying long-term outcomes after radical prostatectomy. For decades, Mayo Clinic has been compiling a database from records of men who have had prostate cancer surgery. This database helps doctors and researchers to track treatments and outcomes, and helps them develop techniques that offer you the best chance for cancer cure and quality of life.
• Comprehensive cancer center. Mayo Clinic Cancer Centermeets strict standards for a National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer center, which recognizes scientific excellence and a multidisciplinary approach to cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., is ranked among the Best Hospitals for cancer by U.S. News & World Report. Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., and Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., are ranked high performing for cancer by U.S. News & World Report.

Mayo Clinic: Answers you can trust

At Mayo Clinic, we assemble a team of specialists who take the time to listen and thoroughly understand your health issues and concerns. We tailor the care you receive to your personal health care needs. You can trust our specialists to collaborate and offer you the best possible outcomes, safety and service.

Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical institution that reinvests all earnings into improving medical practice, research and education. We’re constantly involved in innovation and medical research, finding solutions to improve your care and quality of life. Your doctor or someone on your medical team is likely involved in research related to your condition.

Our patients tell us that the quality of their interactions, our attention to detail and the efficiency of their visits mean health care — and trusted answers — like they’ve never experienced.