Perioperative and Postoperative Outcomes of Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy in Prostate Cancer Patients with Prior Transurethral Subvesical Deobstruction: Results of a High-Volume Center.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Prostate cancer patients who are scheduled for robot-assisted radical prostatectomy often have a history of transurethral resection or laser enucleation of the prostate as treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. We examined if these patients have impaired surgical, functional and oncologic outcomes compared to those who have no symptom burden of moderate to severe benign prostatic hyperplasia and no previous transurethral resection or laser enucleation of the prostate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared 368 robot-assisted radical prostatectomy patients with previous transurethral resection or laser enucleation of the prostate (group A) to 4,945 robot-assisted radical prostatectomy patients without transurethral resection or laser enucleation of the prostate and without moderate or severe benign prostatic hyperplasia symptoms (group B) at a high-volume robot-assisted radical prostatectomy center. Multivariable Cox regression analyses assessed impact of transurethral resection or laser enucleation of the prostate on erectile function and urinary continence recovery, biochemical recurrence or metastatic progression. Analyses were repeated after propensity score matching. RESULTS: No relevant differences in surgical outcomes, such as surgical margin and 30-day complications rates, were observed. Urinary continence recovery rates at 12 months were 67% vs 74% (group A vs B; p <0.001). Erectile function recovery rates at 24 months were 52% vs 62% (p <0.001). Biochemical recurrence-free rates at 36 months were identical, at 87.3% vs 87.8%. Before and after propensity score matching, transurethral resection or laser enucleation of the prostate negatively affected erectile function recovery (matched HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.53-0.88; p=0.003) in multivariable Cox regression analyses. Similarly, transurethral resection or laser enucleation of the prostate had negative effect on urinary continence recovery (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.73-0.97; p=0.015) but no effect on biochemical recurrence or metastatic progression. CONCLUSIONS: Previous transurethral resection or laser enucleation of the prostate does not negatively impact surgical, complication-related, and oncologic outcomes if the robot-assisted radical prostatectomy is performed by highly experienced surgeons. However, transurethral resection or laser enucleation of the prostate negatively affects erectile function and urinary continence recovery.