UPMC Hillman Cancer Center is part of the UPMC family.

Prostate Cancer Surgery

If you have prostate cancer and need surgery, you're in good hands.

UPMC Hillman Cancer Center's surgeons have vast expertise in prostate cancer surgery.

How Do You Perform Prostate Cancer Surgery?

There are three ways your doctor may perform prostate surgery:

  • Standard, open surgeries involve large incisions in the belly to give your surgeon access to the area.
  • Minimally invasive surgery, by contrast, only involves a few small cuts in the stomach. Your surgeon then inserts tiny instruments and a camera through the keyhole-sized cuts.
  • Robot-assisted prostate surgery gives your surgeon greater precision and control. They use a robotic arm to hold and move the instruments during surgery.

Types of Prostate Cancer Surgery

Radical prostatectomy

This is the most common type of prostate cancer surgery.

Your surgeon will remove the entire prostate gland using either the standard or minimally invasive technique.

They may also take small tissue samples around the prostate and from the lymph nodes to see if the cancer has spread.

Robotic prostatectomy

This minimally invasive technique uses a robotic system to remove the prostate.

Benefits of this type of prostate cancer surgery include:

  • Less pain and blood loss.
  • A shorter hospital stay.
  • A faster recovery time.

Other types of surgery for prostate cancer include:

  • Bilateral orchiectomy where surgeons remove the testicles, which can lower testosterone levels. Testosterone and other male hormones can fuel prostate cancer cells.
  • Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) where surgeons pass a small probe through the opening of the penis. The probe then heats the tissue to destroy the cancer cells.

Contact Us About Prostate Cancer Care

To learn more about prostate cancer care or to make an appointment, you can: