Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy versus robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: comparison of oncological outcomes at a single center

Abstract

PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the pathological and oncological outcomes of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) and robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) performed by one surgeon at a single center. SUBJECTS: We evaluated 700 patients with localized prostate cancer (i.e., 250 received LRP and 450 received RARP) in the study. The clinicopathological outcomes, positive surgical margin (PSM) frequency, and biochemical recurrence (BCR)-free survival were compared between LRP and RARP. RESULTS: At diagnosis, the median patient age and level of prostate-specific antigsen in the serum for LRP were 68 years and 8.1 ng/ml, respectively, while those for RARP were 66 years and 7.7 ng/ml, respectively. In the LRP group, the overall PSM rate was 31.2% (11.1% for pT2a, 19.0% for pT2b, 25.0% for pT2c, 60.0% for pT3a, 64.3% for pT3b, and 50% for pT4). In the RARP group, the overall PSM rate was 20.7% (4.8% for pT2a, 15.9% for pT2b, 12.9% for pT2c, 36.9% for pT3a, 46.2% for pT3b, and 100% for pT4). The PSM rate was significantly lower for RARP in men with pT2c, pT3a, or pT3b disease (p = 0.006, p = 0.009, and p = 0.027, respectively). Based on the multivariate analysis, RARP reduced the risk of BCR (hazard ratio = 0.8, p = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: We compared the pathological findings and rates of BCR-free survival between patients who received LRP and those who received RARP at a single center. The rate of BCR-free survival was significantly higher in men classified as D'Amico high-risk patients who received RARP versus that reported in D'Amico high-risk patients who received LRP.