What happens when you have prostate cancer surgery?

Prostate cancer surgery involves the removal of all or part of the prostate gland. This is done to treat early-stage, localized prostate cancer that has not spread beyond the confines of the prostate. When a patient undergoes a radical prostatectomy (surgical removal of entire prostate) or a partial or segmental resection (removal of part), he will most likely experience some side effects such as impotence and incontinence.

Impotence, also known as erectile dysfunction (ED), occurs when nerve damage from surgery causes disruption in communication between brain and penis, leading to insufficient blood flow to achieve an erection. In many cases, this can be reversed with medications that open up blood vessels and allow more penile blood flow such as Viagra® or Cialis®, but there may be permanent ED even with these medications in some cases.

Incontinence is another common issue after a radical prostatectomy. Often times men experience leakage of urine due to weakened pelvic floor muscles that no longer function properly without assistance from drugs like oxybutynin chloride (Ditropan XL®), solifenacin succinate (VESIcare™) and trospium chloride extended release capsules (Sanctura XR®). In severe cases, urinary diversion surgeries are performed which reroute urine through an artificial opening called stoma near abdomen for drainage into external collection bags until new pathways can be developed internally for long-term control over bladder function .

The success rates for each treatment depend on individual risk factors such as age at diagnosis as well as tumor size and stage; however typically patients who opt for surgical treatments tend to have greater five-year survival rates than those who opt only for radiation therapy despite potential side effects listed above according to numerous clinical studies published by The New England Journal Of Medicine and The American Urological Association Journal among others.