Watershed prostate surgery the way to go

A PATIENT who fainted after finding out he had prostate cancer now has a new lease of life, thanks to minimally invasive surgery. Through the high-precision robotic-assisted surgical procedure, Christiaan Brits’s cancerous tumour was removed.

It all started when Brits noticed his urine flow weakening last year. He had some tests, and a biopsy was taken from his prostate gland. Dr Johannes Brummer told him the tests had detected cancer.

“It was a huge shock; I passed out in the urologist’s office when he told me the diagnosis,” Brits recalled.

“Dr Brummer explained the treatment options available to me and recommended that the diseased prostate gland be surgically removed. As the cancer was localised to my prostate, a radical prostatectomy would limit the risk of it spreading beyond the prostate gland,” Brits said.

Brummer informed Brits that operating on the prostate posed certain risks such as the possibility of erectile function loss and reduced urinary control, but a new surgical option associated with reduced risks was available.

“The doctor told me one of the options was a new robotic-assisted surgical technique, for which he had to have special training overseas. I was interested to hear that this world-class technology is available here in the Eastern Cape, and I felt reassured,” Brits said.

Robotic-assisted technology is recognised as the gold standard for the surgical treatment of localised prostate cancer in Europe and the US.

Brummer and fellow urologist Dr Johan Coetzee are accredited as Da Vinci robotic surgeons to perform radical prostatectomies, which is the surgical removal of the prostate gland. They have completed 72 Da Vinci robotic-assisted prostatectomy procedures at Netcare Greenacres Hospital, since the technology was introduced at the hospital in August.

“We are performing Da Vinci prostatectomies routinely now. This highly advanced surgical system offers incredible high-definition three-dimensional visualisation capabilities, which allows us as surgeons to see the nerves and tissues at a magnification that is 10 times greater than the human eye.

“The robotic arms and wristed instruments allow more freedom of movement than the human hand, which enhances surgical precision and improves the preservation of the nerves that control urinary continence, as well as erectile function,” Brummer explained.

“This is of considerable assistance in our efforts to spare the nerves associated with urinary continence and erectile function when performing prostatectomies. In terms of quality of life, this is an important consideration for our patients, particularly for the younger men we treat.”

Coetzee added that patients generally tend to recover more rapidly after surgeries performed with the Da Vinci system.

“There is far less post-operative pain because Da Vinci procedures are minimally invasive,” he said.

Over 4 000 men, some as young as 40, are being diagnosed with prostate cancer in South Africa every year.