About Prostate Cancer Surgery

Surgery is an effective treatment for prostate cancer, especially in the early stages of the disease. Treatment goals for prostate cancer surgery are to:

• Cure the patient of prostate cancer by removing the prostate gland and a margin (narrow border of surrounding tissue) of healthy tissue when the cancer is felt to be confined to the prostate gland.
• Relieve symptoms of pain or blocked urine when the cancer is felt to have grown out of the prostate advanced cancer that has spread (metastasized) to other parts of the body

Surgery is a common choice to cure prostate cancer that is treated early, when it is still confined to the prostate gland. Many men who have a very small amount of early prostate cancer don’t need surgery or any other treatment. Your care team will talk with you about whether surgery is right for you.