A new surgical procedure for prostate cancer, the first ever done regionally, was recently performed at Benedictine Hospital by Dr. Naeem Rahman, MD. Dr. Rahman is Director of Urologic Oncology at the Cancer Center at Benedictine Hospital.
Dr. Naeem Rahman, MD
The new procedure is called Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy. Performed completely by laparoscopy using a laparoscope (a small tube with a video camera transmitting to a high definition monitor from which the physician can view the prostate), the procedure allows for less blood loss, more precise anatomical dissection, quicker healing and faster convalescence. As opposed to open surgery, which may take up to 8 weeks for healing, the new procedure requires only 4 weeks with decreased associated pain.
Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate gland, a small walnut- shaped gland that surrounds the bottom portion of a male’s bladder. It is the most common form of cancer in American men. More than 230,000 men are annually diagnosed with prostate cancer in the US and about 29,000 men die of the disease. Prostate cancer grows very slowly and remains confined to the prostate gland. Research suggests that a combination of factors may play a role in how prostate cancer evolves: heredity, ethnicity, hormones and diet are a few factors, which may contribute to the development of prostate cancer.