The Facts

• There are two types of prostate surgery---radical and laparoscopic. While both remove the prostate gland, radical surgery does so by a large incision between the scrotum and the rectum. Laparoscopic prostatectomy removes the entire prostate gland and the seminal vesicles through tiny incisions.
  
  

Advantages

• Surgery is a one-time procedure that may cure localized prostate cancer in earlier stages. Unlike radiation, surgery offers patients a sense of relief knowing that the cancer has been removed.
  
  

Urinary and Bowel Problems

• Eight percent of patients report long-term urinary incontinence, notes by Dr. Peter T. Scardino, chairman of the Department of Urology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Bowel movement irregularity may be an initial side effect.
  
  

Sexual Side Effects

• According to Scardino, 85 percent of men recover erections. Once the prostate gland is removed, no seminal fluid will be released during ejaculation.
  
  

Warning

• Cancer center data suggests men under the age of 65 have a one in 1,000 risk of death from undergoing a radical prostatectomy, says Scardino, while the mortality rate for patients ages 65 to 79 is one in 200.