Surgeons with the Marin Cancer Institute, Marin General's community cancer center, are performing robotic-assisted prostatectomy using the state-of-the-art da Vinci^® Surgical System. This advanced minimally invasive (MIS) approach provides appropriate patients several potential benefits over traditional open and conventional laparoscopic (or MIS) surgical approaches.

Marin General Hospital's da Vinci^® Surgical System is the only robotic surgical system in the North Bay region of Marin, Sonoma and Lake Counties and is one of only a few high-definition 3-D systems in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. The Marin Cancer Institute is approved by the national Commission on Cancer, a designation held by only about 25 percent of cancer programs nationwide.

Prostate Cancer & Treatment

---

Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin malignancy in men.₁ About one in six American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime.² Prostate cancer is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in men.

Prostate cancer affects the prostate gland and may spread to surrounding areas. With early diagnosis, men usually have a range of treatment options, which may include radiation therapy, active surveillance and radical prostatectomy (surgical removal of the prostate). Selecting a treatment option depends upon several factors, including the stage of the disease, as well as the patient's age, health and personal preferences. Only a patient and his physicians can determine which option is most appropriate.

Surgical removal of the prostate using nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy has become the gold standard surgical option for men under 70 with early-stage, organ-confined cancer. Prostatectomy is now the most widely used treatment for prostate cancer in the United States.³

The primary goal of prostatectomy is removal of the cancer. Second is to preserve urinary continence, and third to preserve erectile function.

Benefits of Robotic-Assisted Prostatectomy

---

For appropriate patients, robotic-assisted prostatectomy (removal of the prostate) employing the da Vinci^® Surgical System offers several potential benefits, including:

• shorter hospital stays - typically one night
• less blood loss


• lower risk of requiring blood transfusion


• less post-operative pain


• faster return to normal activities

Physicians

---

Physicians who use the da Vinci^® Surgical System have completed specialized training and mentoring. The Marin Cancer Institute surgeons who perform robotic-assisted prostatectomy surgery at Marin General Hospital include:

Dr. Patrick Bennett, urologist, (415) 461-4000
Dr. Uzay Yasar, urologist, (707) 521-8900

More Information

---

• How Robotic-Assisted Surgery Works


• Types of Prostatectomy


• Marin Cancer Institute's Prostate/Genitourinary Cancer Program

1. "What are the Key Statistics About Prostate Cancer?," National Cancer Institute, www.cancer.gov.


2. The National Prostate Cancer Coalition: www.fightprostatecancer.org home/treatment & research/treatment options/surgery


3. The National Prostate Cancer Coalition: www.fightprostatecancer.org home/treatment & research/treatment options/surgery