Robotic Surgery for Prostate Cancer
09 September 2022
Prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent cancer among males globally as well as in Malaysia, however patients can recover from it if discovered and treated early. As men age, they may experience an enlarged prostate, which may be benign or cancerous. With robot-assisted surgery, a prostatectomy is much safer and successful.
Absence of Symptoms
Dr Tan Guan Hee, Consultant Urologist at Sunway Medical Centre in Sunway City said that prostate cancer does not have the same risk factors as lung or liver cancer, which have particular risk factors such as smoking or alcohol consumption. Age-related variables can also contribute to prostate cancer in certain patients, as can family history or genetics.
He added that prostate cancer is typically asymptomatic and if symptoms are present, they are primarily connected to urine. This is because an enlarged prostate gland would impair urination, causing slower urination, less smooth urination, frequent urination, and the sensation of incomplete urination.
Prostate Cancer Treatment
Dr Tan noted that if the disease is localised and has not spread, there are two treatment options – surgery to remove the prostate and radiation therapy. If the cancer cells have spread to other organs, these treatments are no longer effective, however hormone therapy can be done.
Advice on Prostate Cancer
Aggressive prostate cancer cells have the potential to spread to other regions in the body such as bones, lymph nodes and lungs. Hence, early detection and treatment is vital. Men over the age of 50 who experience difficulty in urinating should see a doctor and get a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test done as soon as possible.
Source: Sin Chew Sabah
